Beauty in the Breakdown
by Baine
Summary: Forced to move to a small town against her will, Tsukino Usagi must endure the trials of starting all over again.  But who is trying to evict them from their new home...and why?
1. Something Just Broke

Beauty in the Breakdown

Chapter 1/?

By Baine

Email: lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com

Written: September 18, 2006

Posted: June 30th, 2007

Happy Birthday, Usagi! The first chapter of this fic is being posted today to celebrate the birth of our favorite heroine! *hands Usagi a hunky Mamo-chan dripping in chocolate…*

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter One: Something Just Broke**

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Pale sunlight streamed through the dusty window, creating a dappled effect against the floor as it made its way through the tapestry of leaves adorning a nearby tree. It illuminated the sparse room, showcasing its emptiness and rendering the place uninhabitable. Large, hulking boxes dominated the room, creating a tense atmosphere for the seventeen-year old girl observing them with a critical eye. A sour look crossed Tsukino Usagi's face as she flounced onto the nearby window seat, glaring at the disassembled pieces of her bed lying haphazardly underneath her other window.

She let out a huff of air and turned her head haughtily as two movers entered the room and began re-assembling her bed. She pretended to be absorbed in the view outside her new window despite the fact she couldn't care less. One thing was for sure, though—she didn't want any small talk. It would ruin the delightful bad mood she was currently brewing for herself.

"Usagi?"

Her lips tightened as she resolutely ignored her mother, staring intently at the tree outside her window. She absently wondered if its branches would hold her weight.

A soft hand came down upon her shoulder and she reluctantly turned from the window to stare at her mother, her eyes dull and empty. "What?"

Her mother sighed heavily. "Usa, come downstairs. Let the movers do their job." She gave her daughter a wavering smile. "I made some cold lemonade for us. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Usagi sighed as she took in her mother's forlorn appearance, nodding reluctantly as she stood and brushed off her skirt, glowering at the ebony-haired mover who grinned her way at the action. She shook her head angrily and stalked out of the room, pausing at the top of the stairwell. "These steps are going to drive me crazy, Mom. They creak every time I put any weight on them."

Her younger brother cackled as he raced past her down the stairs, causing them to crack loudly in his wake. "Maybe if you weren't such an elephant, they'd be quieter for you!"

She stared after the sandy-haired boy with a frown as she slowly headed down the stairwell. "Could you _be_ any more annoying, Shingo?"

"You haven't seen anything yet, Dumbo!" He jumped onto the ground platform and turned to stick his tongue out at his sister before disappearing into the kitchen.

Ikuko sighed wearily. Couldn't her children ever behave civilly toward one another? "Children, stop. We have guests in the house. Nobody wants to hear your bickering right now."

Usagi turned to shoot her mother a reproachful look. "They're _movers_, mother. If we're paying them, they aren't our guests."

"We should still be nice to them, though. They have the power to keep our belongings intact! Besides, I love their uniforms, don't you? Oh, and Usa, did you see the one guy with the dark hair? He's only a few years older than you are. Isn't he _adorable_?" She nudged her daughter playfully, earning herself another reproachful glare.

"I'm not looking at other boys, Mama. I have a boyfriend, remember? His name is Motoki and he's currently halfway across the country—along with everyone else I've ever known."

"I know, Usa, but it wouldn't hurt to spread your wings a little and try something new every once in a while."

Usagi snorted as she plopped into a chair at the kitchen table. "Please. In a year, I'm going back up north so that I can go to college with everyone else. It'll be like this year never happened. I _still_ can't believe you pulled me out of school my senior year. That's cruel and unusual punishment, you know. In fact, I should probably call Child Services on you—I'm sure this qualifies as _some_ sort of abuse!"

"Yeah, now that you don't have any friends, you'll actually have time to study and do your homework, how cruel." Shingo snorted as he blew bubbles into his lemonade.

"Why, you little—"

"Enough!" Her mother smiled through clenched teeth as she poured lemonade into two Styrofoam cups and placed one in front of her daughter. "Usagi, I _know_ you're upset. If I could have gotten a job closer to home, I would have. This move is just as tough on me as it is on you kids, you know?"

Usagi's shoulders wilted as she lowered her head. "Yeah, I know."

Her mother rubbed her shoulders affectionately. "Drink up, okay? We have a lot to do today and we'll need all of the strength we can get."

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That night, Usagi lay in bed staring up into the darkness. Her old room's ceiling had the night sky painted across it and glowed in the dark. She smiled absently as she remembered painting it with her friends. They had gotten paint everywhere and her father had been furious when he came home from work, but her mother had laughed it off and gotten him to cool down.

Her face darkened as she strove to rid herself of thoughts concerning her father. She turned her attention to the hallway. She could hear her brother running up and down the steps as though he were in a marathon.

"Shingo, knock it off!" She yelled, turning over and pulling her pillow over her head. Why couldn't she have a nice, normal brother whose entire existence didn't revolve around annoying her? She glanced over at her alarm clock. It was almost midnight.

"Shingo, go to _bed_ already! We start school in the morning and I need my beauty sleep!" She clutched the pillow tighter and closed her eyes, attempting to drown her brother out.

She tossed and turned throughout the night, hearing every creak and squeak as the house settled around her. When her alarm clock began ringing to signify the start of a new day, she rubbed at her bleary eyes and pulled on her old uniform, eying herself critically in the mirror.

Her former school had been known for having the cutest uniforms in all of Tokyo. She had gone to a super-rich, ultra-private high school academy where nobody accepted anything less than the very best.

She gave her skirt a tug and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. Hopefully her new uniform would be cute. She had seen some younger girls walking around town yesterday with black suspenders trailing down their white blouses and holding up their navy skirts. Their feet had been adorned with white shoes that had a vivid green stripe across the sides, completely clashing with their clothing. Her school had to have better uniforms than that. ***—1**

She hurried downstairs, frowning at her brother as she plopped into the seat across from him. "Did you really have to run up and down the steps for an hour last night? It took me forever to get to sleep after all the racket you made."

Her brother shook his head quickly. "No way, you are so not blaming me for what you did!" He petulantly turned towards his mother. "Mo~om, Usagi-baka's trying to get me in trouble again!"

"What? I am not, dork. I'm just telling you to have more respect in the middle of the night!"

"But it wasn't me!"

"Yeah, right. Just like you didn't make my door handle all sticky last week or rig my window the week before or—"

"It wasn't me," he whined as he turned toward his mother once more. "Mooo-oom, make her stop blaming me!"

Ikuko glowered at both of her children as she set bowls of cereal in front of each of them. "I really don't care which of you was trying to annoy whom last night. All I care about is the fact that it _won't happen again_. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes'm." Both siblings cowered under their mother's glare and slowly began to eat breakfast, casting one another hostile glances the entire time.

Ikuko set her own bowl on the table and went back to the counter to grab the milk. She blinked at the empty counter. "That's odd, I must have put it away already."

She went to the fridge and opened it. Her forehead crinkled as she stared at the cereal box residing where the milk should have been. She grabbed it from its spot on the shelf and returned it to its home in the cupboard, grabbing the milk out in the process.

"Guess I wasn't paying as much attention to detail as I thought I was," she exclaimed with a smile, ignoring the way her children were laughing at her. "Hurry up and eat. The city buses will be at the stop soon." ***—2**

Usagi glowered and curled up into her chair. "I'm too old to take the bus, Mom. It's completely uncool."

Ikuko turned to eye her daughter skeptically. "I suppose it's cooler to make a mad dash and be late? Do you really want to walk two miles each way, Usagi?"

"I know! You can ditch the pansy back home and get a new boyfriend with a car. Better yet, how 'bout a motorcycle? Then again, who'd wanna be that close to _you_?" Shingo sneered as he brought his bowl to his lips and loudly slurped the remainder of his milk.

"Mom, why didn't we give him up for adoption when we had the chance?"

Ikuko smiled fondly at her son. "We figured we needed more entertainment in our otherwise-ordinary lives, remember?"

"Right." Usagi eyed her brother speculatively. "Then again, he can be rather... _entertaining_ at times. In fact, we should put him on display at the zoo for everyone to admire." She stood dramatically. "I can see it now. Limited time only: Come see Ape Boy Live! His arms are longer than his legs and his ears are big enough to use as wings. Admission is only 100 yen!" ***—3**

She grinned triumphantly at her brother and was rewarded with a loud, "Mooo-ooom!"

Ikuko sighed wearily and attempted to drown her bickering children out as she cleared the table and handed them each a bento. "Go to the bus stop. It's right at the corner. You can tease one another all you want while you wait, okay? Usa, remember that your stop is at Nakazato High School. Shingo, you're going to get off at Kita Junior High, okay?" ***—4**

She kissed them both on the forehead and ushered them into the hallway, handing them their backpacks and bus cards as they slipped on their shoes and headed out the door. She waved after them cheerfully before shutting the door and leaning against it wearily. It was only 8 a.m. and her children had already worn her out for the day.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

He stared through the window in his room, brushing away the dust that had once again accumulated over the glass. He watched disdainfully as the blue-haired woman walked out of his house and got into her car, pulling out of the driveway before heading down the bend and out of sight.

He pulled back his lips with a sneer. It was only a matter of time before this new family was out of his house. After all, it was merely a weak woman, her snobby daughter, and a young boy. How hard could it be to scare them away the same as he had all of the others?

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. They hadn't been phased out about the racket the night before, though. In fact, they'd blamed each other for it. He threw back his head and laughed. Pitting them against one another hadn't been in his plans, but if that was what it took, so be it.

It was time to be more obvious about his existence. He had to do more than run up and down the steps or move items to obscure locations. His eyes glowed at the thought. It was time to begin Stage Two.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1: **In Japan, students either walk to school, are driven by parents, or pay to take city buses. There are no school buses here. You can pay money or use a special electronic bus card that you've put money onto in advance. You can also purchase bus tickets from a machine at the station. For this story, Shingo and Usagi have bus cards because that's the most common method of payment if you use the bus on a daily basis.

**Cultural Note #2: ** These uniforms (with suspenders) are very similar to the ones that the students wear during the warm months at the local junior high. They also have the shoes with the stripe marks. Here, however, each stripe symbolizes what grade the students are in. We have three colors: Green, blue, yellow. At the elementary schools, the students have red or blue stripes to show if they're boys or girls. Some schools have more sophisticated shoes.

**Cultural Note#3: ** Pretending that there is no currency exchange and that everything is exact, you could say that 100 yen is equal to $1 (£1) USD/EURO/AUD/CAD/whatever currency type you have.

**Cultural Note#4: ** A bento is a Japanese lunchbox. You can search Google/Yahoo/etc. for images if you haven't seen one before. They're fairly common, so there's a good chance you have, though, especially if you've watched _Sailor Moon!_

Well, another new fic has begun! I'm pretty far along in this one, though I'm still figuring out my middle/finale. I only have vague impressions of what I want in the end atm.

I really love the repertoire that I've built between Shingo, Usagi and Ikuko-mamma in this story. It feels very real to me. What do you think? Did I do a good job? It almost reminds me of the family dynamic in PGSM!

It was *so* hard for me to come up with a title for this piece. I always struggle with titles, but this one was weird because I had a name for every chapter I'd written (which I never do because it's too hard to come up with them. They're coming so easily for this fic, though!), but not the main chapter. I even shuffled my Zen listening to stuff to no avail. That weekend, I was watching one of my favorite movies, _Garden State_. The song "Let Go" by Frou Frou came on over the ending credits and a line in the song, "...beauty in the breakdown..." caught my ear. I let it fester for a couple of days, analyzed the many meanings of the phrase and how it could work in the story, and ultimately decided on it. Voila!

The title of the first chapter, "Something Just Broke," is also from a song. It comes from a musical by the legendary Stephen Sondheim entitled _Assassins_. Of course, the song doesn't match this piece at all because it's about reaction to the assassination of JFK and this piece isn't, but the title is perfect and wouldn't leave my head.

As always, I'd like to thank my fabulous editor Kel for helping me tidy this piece up. ^^

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•» **

**«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•» **

**«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»**


	2. Smeared Black Ink

Beauty in the Breakdown

Chapter 2/?

By Baine

Email: lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com

Written: April 26th, 2007

Posted: July 8th, 2007

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

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**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter Two: Smeared Black Ink**

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The sun sat high in the sky, not a cloud in sight, yet Usagi found herself unable to enjoy the nice weather. She would rather it be dark and somber to match her mood. Thankfully, autumn lurked in the distance, biding its time as summer made the most of its final weeks.

Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, she stared forlornly at her Japanese textbook. She didn't mind when the teacher assigned novels to read, but she hated studying for kanji vocabulary quizzes. It had been so much easier when she was in primary school and the words weren't so complex. Of course, it wasn't as bad as her English homework, which was in another language altogether and had an alphabet of its own to go with it. *—**1**

If that wasn't enough to handle, math was harder than ever, mixing not only numbers and letters, but symbols as well. Numbers and math had even made their way into her chemistry class. Was it any surprise that history was the sole class she was able to pass without too much of a struggle?

She absently bit on her pen cap. Her frown deepened as two girls walked past her, their skirts hitched higher than was allowed. Usagi gave an inward smirk. Her old school uniform had a skirt the perfect length because the people in charge wanted everyone to be comfortable. Well, that and they probably didn't want rebellious students. Either way, it was better than a dowdy skirt that went down past the knees.

Usagi sighed forlornly, missing her old school more than ever. She didn't have any friends here yet, even though it had been a month since they had moved. She was cooler than these inaka hillbillies, which meant that she was shunned entirely. ***-2**

Adjusting her sailor collar, she gave a mental word of thanks for the fact that her new school didn't force the girls to wear suspenders. Granted, it wasn't the best uniform in the world, but it wasn't the ugliest, either. Usagi was lucky because she still hadn't gotten her new uniform yet, so she was able to continue wearing her old one. ***-3**

She saw one of the girls with a hitched skirt look her way and scowl, then loudly whisper to her friend, "Mariko-chan, do you see what she's _wearing_?"

Her friend looked over and grimaced. "Geez, isn't she ashamed to be wearing a skirt that short? She must have been a total slut at her old school!"

The two girls giggled and continued to whisper back and forth as they disappeared from view. Usagi scowled after them and brushed her hands against her skirt. To her, it was a decent length. It probably showed less skin than their makeshift short skirts did. They were only jealous because it was naturally shorter than their own, so it didn't have weird bumps and creases in it. Besides, her uniform was cuter than anything they could dream of being allowed to wear. Having the most fashionable uniform was the reason to choose a school in Tokyo, so why wouldn't the same thought-process apply in a backwater farming town? Even knowing this, it still hurt to hear. People at this school were going out of their way to be cruel to her.

Feeling a shadow pass over her as the sun disappeared from sight, she looked up with a frown. A girl with short ebony hair stood before her, hands at her waist.

"You're in my spot."

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you could own free land."

The girl glared at her and tossed her hair, cracking her gum in the process. "I always sit under this tree. Everyone knows that."

"Apparently not everyone."

"Well, now you know, so move."

"Sorry, no. I was here first."

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Listen, New Girl, you may think you're tough stuff, but in reality, you're nobody."

"That's nice." Usagi flipped a page in her notebook, ignoring her classmate and making the girl even angrier.

"Move right now or when my boyfriend gets here—"

"I'm studying. Go find someplace else to make out. This area really isn't as secluded as you think it is."

Uncapping a bottle of water, the girl tipped it so that the contents spilled onto Usagi's textbook and notes, causing the ink to bleed. "Oops, sorry about that. Guess you can't do any more homework until you go home and get some new supplies." She smiled sweetly before flouncing over to an approaching classmate, then looked backward and smirked before wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him toward her.

The male, who Usagi presumed to be her boyfriend, loosely returned her embrace, looking over her shoulder as though to pinpoint what had caused her to look away from him. His eyes fell on Usagi, and he stared at the blonde girl for a long moment, his raven hair falling sloppily into his eyes and glistening beneath the sunlight. Unable to discern the expression on his face, Usagi shifted uncomfortably and busied herself with packing her belongings as the school bell rang in the distance.

Frowning at her now-soggy notes, she cursed under her breath as she shoved everything back into her schoolbag, wincing at the sucking sounds as her books clung to one another. Her face darkened angrily. That girl never would have gotten away with doing such a thing at Usagi's old school. Too many people would have ostracized her. Usagi herself probably would have lured the girl's boyfriend away as revenge. Of course, she wouldn't have kept him. She did have Motoki, after all. No, the fun would have come from adding him to her harem of admirers and taking him away from her opponent.

Sensing that the guy was still looking in her direction, she remained hunched over her bag a moment longer than necessary, allowing him the chance to admire her backside. Straightening slowly, she furrowed her brow in thought. Perhaps it was only the girls who were shunning her. Was it nothing more than a case of jealousy? So far, none of the guys had come near her either, but it could very well be that they were afraid to. After all, if they made all the other girls pissy, they'd never get laid. She sure wouldn't put out for them—not that they knew that.

Trudging back into the building, she chucked the remains of her bento box into a nearby trash receptacle and headed for fifth period. Thankfully, it was gym, so she didn't have to worry about soggy books. Entering the girls' locker room, she sighed in relief. She didn't know what she would have done if the school had been too poor to build one. Shingo had told her that at his new school, the boys had to change into their gym uniforms out in the hallway while the girls changed in the classroom. Being a guy, he loved the set-up because he could easily peep, but if Usagi had been in the same situation, she would have been so embarrassed. Suspenders and no changing rooms? Talk about hell on earth. Why had her mother forced them to move to such a primitive part of Japan? ***-4**

Tucking her gym shirt into her shorts, she quickly braided her twin pigtails together and slipped them up with a hair claw so she wouldn't trip. Shoving her lace handkerchief into her pocket, she quickly scurried outside with the rest of her class.

Today, they were playing volleyball. Frowning on the sidelines as the captains chose their teammates, Usagi glanced at the people who had yet to be picked. As usual, it was down to her and a girl with a short blue bob, her glasses resting precariously atop her nose. She had a feeling the smaller girl hated gym almost as much as she herself did. Granted, Usagi was a bit of a klutz. Her brother liked to tease her and proclaim that she had been sent here from outer space, so she'd never quite gotten the hang of gravity. She scoffed at the thought. If anything, he was the alien. She was sure there was a planet out there brimming with annoying brothers waiting for a girl-child to be born so they could launch an invasion.

Usagi's eyes narrowed as the girl who had dumped water on her belongings earlier smiled smugly and chose the bluenette, leaving her alone on the sidelines. Seeing the remaining captain grimace before calling Usagi over, she managed to withhold a smirk. It was true that she was bad at sports, but for some reason, she had always been good at volleyball. She'd show _them_ not to mess with her.

**_.-"-._ _.-"-._ _.-"-._**

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Slouching in the passenger's seat after school, she tuned out her mother and stared out the window, watching as ricefield after ricefield flickered past. It wasn't her fault she had hit the ball too hard. Takako should have been able to either get to it or move out of the way. If she'd gotten a bloody nose because she just stood there like a moron, well, that wasn't Usagi's fault, now was it? Of course, the stupid girl had tried to get her in trouble by saying that Usagi had thrown the ball at her as revenge because she'd accidentally spilled her drink all over Usagi's stuff at lunch time.

It really had been an accident because she hadn't been trying to hurt anyone when she spiked the ball, but now Usagi had to deal with her irate mother. Luckily, the gym teacher had vouched for her because she'd been impressed by Usagi's skills on the court that day. Due to this, she'd been able to get out of detention because it "couldn't be proven" that Usagi was at fault when she had been playing so well up until that point. Hearing her mother inhale sharply, Usagi glanced to her right, watching her mother's palms whiten as she gripped the wheel. ***-5**

Looking over to make sure her daughter wasn't being ornery and tuning her out the way she normally did, Ikuko signed wearily. "Usa, I'm worried about you. Can't you at least try to make friends? We've been here a month now and you're not even trying."

"Maybe I don't want to make new friends. I liked my old ones just fine."

"Usa..."

"No, Momma. You can't force me to make friends."

"I've never had the need to. You were always able to make friends easily. I always admired that quality in you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a little girl anymore. It gets harder as you grow older."

"Even Shingo is settling in and making new friends."

Usagi folded her arms across her chest and turned her back on her mother, sullenly staring out the window once more. The last thing she wanted was to be compared to her stupid brother. She shuddered at the thought.

Feeling warmth on her shoulder as the car came to a stop, she shrugged away from her mother's touch and rapidly exited the vehicle, slamming the passenger door behind her. Hurrying into the house, she stormed up the steps toward her bedroom and flounced onto her bed. Grabbing her pillow with both hands, she beat it with her fist, then brought it to her face and screamed. Furiously pressing it closer to her skin as she felt heat build at the corner of her eyes, she sniffed and drew in a shaky breath. The woody aroma of smoke filled her nostrils. Forgetting her anger, she breathed in again, furrowing her eyebrows. Had someone been in her room?

Opening her bedroom door, she poked out her head and bellowed into the stairwell, "Mom, can you come up here a sec?"

When her mom arrived a moment later, cheeks flushed and a trace of flour on her cheek, Usagi handed her the pillow. "Does this smell like smoke to you?"

Eying her daughter suspiciously, Ikuko brought the fluffy object to her face and inhaled. "Have you been smoking, Usagi?"

"What? No! I just got home. I wouldn't have had time to—"

"If I had time to start dinner, you had time for a smoke break, Usagi."

"Well, I _wasn't_. You should know me well enough by now to know that I don't smoke."

"That boyfriend of yours does, though. I can only imagine all of the things he's introduced you to while my back's been turned."

Usagi drew back as though her mother had slapped her. "You don't know me at all, do you? Maybe I should start indulging in everything you accuse me of doing so I can prove you right." Stepping backwards and away from her mother, she hissed, "Maybe you should be more concerned about your precious son and what he gets up to with his new friends. If this is how you want me to make new friends, I have nothing left to say to you."

She grasped her doorknob and slammed the door in her mother's face, latching the lock firmly and striding back to her bed. Ignoring her mother as she pounded on the door, Usagi reached for one of her decorative pillows and sniffed at it before using it to shield her head as she burrowed under the covers.

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He leaned against the wall with a scowl, listening to the muffled sobs coming from the other side.

The stupid girl who had infiltrated his house was such a prima donna. He could understand her wigging out over the smoke, but to _cry_ over it? Inconceivable. His Pa would have slapped him and his sister 'til they bled if they'd ever tried such a stunt with him.

Reaching into his shirt pocket, he pulled out a slightly squashed package of cigarettes. He was surprised she had smelled the smoke to begin with. He hadn't even been smoking in her room. He had only gone in there to rumple up her bed so that she'd get into another argument with her brother. Their fights were his only source of amusement these days since his pranks never seemed to faze them out or make them want to run back to the city.

He pulled the fabric of his shirt to his nose and inhaled. Maybe he'd start smoking outside on the terrace so the wind could cleanse him of the smell.

Not that he was trying to make amends or anything, because he absolutely wasn't. His main goal was still to get them out of his house. He preferred to be by himself. He didn't want to listen to the pampered princess' wheezing anymore because it annoyed him. That was all.

Pulling a cigarette from the deformed package, he headed toward the window. It was time to move onto the next stage of his plan, since the others obviously hadn't been working. It was time to make the Tsukino family more..._**aware**_ of his presence.

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**Cultural Note #1:** When referring to Usagi's classes here, Japanese is her literature/grammar class and English is a foreign language. In the manga, Usagi wasn't very good at kanji, so I've carried that over here. There is a list of 1,006 kanji (the Kyoiku Kanji List) that elementary school students are required to learn over the course of the six years that they are there. This is what Usagi is referring to when she talks about simpler kanji.

**Cultural Note #2:** Inaka means that you live out in the country or in a (very) rural area. It's not quite the suburbs or a city.

**Cultural Note #3:** When a student in Japan transfers schools, they are allowed to wear their old school uniform until they can get a new one. {This is most likely why Mako-chan always had on her old school uniform in the anime. Sometimes, if you can't afford a new uniform, you don't have to get the new one at all. It all depends on the school that you're at. Every situation is different and all...}

**Cultural Note #4:** The schools in my town are a bit on the poor side, so there are no changing rooms. The boys really do change in the hallway while the girls change in the classroom. Embarrassing, no?

**Cultural Note #5:** In Japan, the driver's seat is on the right side of the car, not the left.

As always, I'd like to thank my fabulous editor Kel for helping me tidy this piece up. This chapter title also came from a song, "The District Sleeps Tonight" by The Postal Service (one of my favorite music groups!). It's the first line in the song, and I've always loved it. You'll see why the name came to me soon... Future chapters won't have song titles, though. It's just worked out this way for the first couple.

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•» **

**«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•» **

**«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»**


	3. Alabaster Moon

Beauty in the Breakdown

Chapter 3: Alabaster Moon

By Baine

Email: lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com

Written: April 26th, 2007

Posted: August 4th, 2007

AN: For those asking, by the end, this will be a Usagi/Mamoru fic. Mamoru won't be making an appearance into the story for a few chapters yet because there are a couple of other story arcs going on, so bear with me for a while. ^.^

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter Three: Alabaster Moon**

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Steam poured out of his ears as his face flamed a vibrant shade of red. He was livid. He hadn't been this mad since he was a teen and his dad had caught him rolling around in the meadow with Sakimoto Mie.

He could hear that swine of a boy crowing in the living room about ghosts and haunted houses all the way from the top floor. It wasn't supposed to be like this. People weren't supposed to be happy when they discovered a ghost in the house. They were supposed to abandon ship. Yet here was a small twerp of a boy acting as though his existence was the best thing on earth.

To add salt to the wound, neither of the females had so much as lifted an eyebrow at the boy's antics. They thought he was fibbing and tuned him out. They hadn't even stopped to consider the notion that he could be telling the truth. That alone infuriated him the most.

What would it take to make this family sit up and take notice? Billowing curtains only moved because "someone must have left the window open"—even if it was shut. Creaking floorboards and scary sounds were nothing more than the house settling. Lights that flickered on and off were a result of faulty wiring and rooms as cold as a freezer were blamed on old, drafty houses that didn't heat easily.

Why did a family have to move in that was so...practical? Where was the fun in that? He had been so sure he'd finally get to them tonight, too. He had performed his most brilliant prank yet. It had taken a lot of time and energy, but he'd managed to make the hallway 'bleed.'

Small rivulets of 'blood' had cascaded down the walls. He had mixed water with ketchup and rigged the clear baggies to release at the exact moment the family walked up the steps. Instead of fleeing, however, the boy thought it was 'cool' and, upon realizing that there was a ghost in the house, had decided to catch him while his sister and mother had lectured him for creating a prank that had destroyed the walls.

He scoffed at the idea. Like that runt of a kid could come up with a prank that was half as good as his. He plugged up his ears to drown out the squeals of delight intermixed with spurts of anger and bickering.

At the rate it was going, this family would_ never_ get the hint.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Usagi lay sprawled across the couch with the remote in her hand, eyes fixed on the TV. Turning up the sound of the drama she was watching to drown out her brother, she sighed and rolled over. ***-1**

"Shingo, cut it out. I can't hear my show."

Shingo paused to glance over at his sister, hammer held in mid-air. His gaze flickered over to the TV and his lip curled derisively. "Why do you always watch these crappy dramas? They're so lame. Look at this dude, for example. He's a wuss if he spends an entire season trying to ask a girl out. What a loser."

A devilish smile crossed her face. "Why, Shingo, I _knew_ you secretly watched this show when you thought I wasn't looking."

"No, but you always have the sound up so loud that it's impossible to tune it out. Besides, you talk in your sleep." He brought his hand to his mouth and made loud kissing noises as he mimed his sister drooling over the male lead.

Pulling the decorative pillow from behind her head, Usagi hurled it at her brother. "I don't do that, dweeb."

"Yuh-huh," he made a fish face and smacked his lips, then returned to his hammer, making sure to bang it extra loudly in order to annoy his sister even more.

Usagi scowled and turned up the volume on the TV yet again, eyes riveted on the latest teen heartthrob, who was currently drenched from a combination of rain and sweat. She sighed dreamily as she took in his bare, chiseled chest, squealing in surprise as the remote was suddenly wrenched from her hands. Sitting up and preparing to start World War III, she froze as she stared up into her mother's furious face.

"It's way too loud in here. The neighbors are probably going to throw a fit the next time they see me."

Recovering from the shock, Usagi wailed, "But Momma, I can't hear over Shingo's hammering. I've been waiting to see this all week and he's ruining it for me."

Ikuko rolled her eyes and swatted the top of her daughter's head. "You're _both_ making a racket." Glancing at her watch, she did a mental calculation. "Your show ends at eleven, right?" ***-1**

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's do this. Shingo, let your sister watch the last half hour of her show. You can bang during the commercial breaks, but that's it."

"But Mo~om—"

"Either wait or go bang around in the attic. Oh, and I want you both in bed by 11:30."

"Why? There's no school tomorrow." Shingo pouted petulantly.

"It's too late to be causing a ruckus. Tomorrow may be Saturday, but don't forget that you have to be at the school by 10 a.m. for baseball practice, Shingo. Usagi, since you haven't joined any clubs, you'll stay here and help me with the chores." ***-2 **

Usagi scowled at her mother, then shrugged and agreed, turning her attention back to the TV, finger itching to turn the volume back up as soon as her mother vacated the room. Drowning out the murmur of voices, she focused her concentration on the show, becoming aware of her surroundings only when there was a commercial break and her brother resumed his incessant hammering. Rolling over onto her stomach, she peered over the arm of the couch at the debris strewn across the floor. "What are you making, anyway?"

Shingo looked up with a grin as he finished hammering a nail into place. "A trap."

A suspicious expression crossed Usagi's face as she lifted an eyebrow. "If I have to suffer through another of your pranks, you won't live to see the new year, twerp."

"It's not a trap for humans, baka. I'm making it to trap the ghost."

Usagi groaned. How on earth did her mother think that Shingo was settling down better than she was? "Not this again. Shingo, listen." Concerned, she sat up and bit her lip, peering down at her brother. "Look, I'm having trouble adjusting to the move, too, but trust me. Mom won't take us back to Tokyo just because you're inventing a ghost."

Shingo frowned at her. "It's _you_ who's having trouble adjusting, not me. I'm getting along just fine."

Usagi scoffed, her face hardening once more. "Whatever. Just don't set any booby-traps near me and you can keep all your body parts." She turned her attention back to the TV.

Sticking out his tongue, Shingo stuck his fingers in his ears and made a face at his sister, then got in a few more pounding sounds with his hammer before the commercials ended and he was chased from the room.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

A discombobulated arm hung lifelessly from the ceiling. Nearby, a leg swung back and forth from a string as the ceiling fan's blades slowly orbited.

He smirked as he side-stepped the appendages. If that kid thought he could use gag props to throw him off and catch him, he was seriously deranged. Sidestepping a plate full of flour, he maneuvered his way through the room. As aggravating as it was to have a budding ghostbuster on his hands, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed watching the sparks fly every time one of the women innocently encountered a trap. Sooner or later, the boy was sure to get sick of always being grounded and give up.

He had to give up the pranks himself, unfortunately. He was spending too much energy trying to top himself and getting no reward for his troubles. He only excited the brat more and the females would never even consider a ghost at this point because the boy was acting so nutty.

Moving to the terrace, he pulled out his squashed box of cigarettes and extracted one, bringing it to his lips and reveling in the illusion of life. True, he didn't actually need the air, but the act of breathing reminded him of everything he had lost.

Hearing the front door bang shut, his mouth settled into a grimace. Taking one last drag of his cigarette, he blew slowly, snubbing out the end and dropping the butt to the ground. So much for peace and quiet. The family was home from their excursion.

Hearing the door behind him slide open, he moved to the side, watching through hooded eyes as the girl came out to join him, resting her arms against the railing and lowering her head. A night breeze played with her long hair. Swatting the blowing strands out of her eyes, she straightened and stared up into the star-dappled sky. Her face appeared to be illuminated beneath the full moon. Her cheeks were flushed and she glowed with health for the first time since he had seen her. She looked almost...pretty.

A lone tear trailed her cheek as she stared upwards, absently playing with the star-shaped locket she wore around her neck. "Starlight, star bright..."

He held his breath, waiting to hear what frivolous thing a pampered princess could possibly yearn for. She remained mum, however. He stepped closer, wondering if her voice was just too quiet to hear.

She shivered and zipped her hoodie. It was almost as though she'd felt his movement, though he was sure it was just her body's response to the cool night air. After all, if she could sense his presence, she would have done so long before now.

Swiping her hand across her face, she turned and headed back inside, latching the door behind her.

What had she been going to wish for? Curiosity slid down his throat and coiled in his stomach. He felt almost...disappointed that she hadn't revealed her thoughts aloud. He could have used them against her later. After all, they were in the middle of a war. He wasn't about to grant anyone mercy, least of all a pampered princess.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** In Japan, primetime TV shows air between 9 p.m.-11p.m. at night. Usually, they are an hour long. They are called "dramas" here.

**Cultural Note #2:** In Japan, clubs take up a lot of a student's time! They can meet anywhere from once to five times during a school week. Many students get home after seven p.m. at night. Students often go to school on Saturdays and/or Sundays for club activities as well. Sports are considered to be club activities rather than teams. In fact, students even attend these activities and/or tournaments during school holidays such as summer vacation and Golden Week. Many parents complain because students spend too much time at school, but this set-up isn't going to change anytime soon. It also places a burden on the teachers because they have don't get paid overtime for supervising the clubs. They also lose out on vacation if the club is meeting/competing.

As always, I'd like to thank my fabulous editor Kel for helping me tidy this piece up. ^^

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•» **

**«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•» **

**«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»**


	4. Secret Window

Beauty in the Breakdown

Chapter 4: Secret Window

By Baine

Email: lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com

Finished: August 24, 2007

Posted: August 27, 2007

AN: For those asking, by the end, this will be a Usagi/Mamoru fic. Mamoru won't be making an appearance into the story for a few chapters yet because there are a couple of other story arcs going on, so bear with me for a while. ^.^

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter Four: Secret Window**

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The world was a blur of red, brown, and orange. Usagi pressed her eyes shut, locking out the feel of something pricking at her eyeballs as her lungs gasped for air. Flailing wildly, she hit the ground with a thud, experiencing a crumbling sensation as the leaves cushioning her fall gave way. Inhaling deeply, she coughed as a pungent aroma filled her nostrils. Slowly sitting up, she shook her head, causing decaying leaves to tumble to the earth.

Glowering at her brother as he sat laughing his head off, she slowly rose to her feet. "You're _so_ dead, Shingo."

He smirked and stuck his fingers in his ears, flailing them around as he stuck out his tongue and ran across the lawn, sending leaves tumbling in every direction. "Not if you can't catch me!"

Rolling her eyes at the childish action, Usagi bent and picked up her discarded rake, intent on fixing the mess they had just created.

An hour later, she leaned against her rake with a sigh and pushed her sweat-drenched bangs out of her eyes. Raking was harder than it looked. One of the perks about her house in Tokyo was that there had been people to take care of the lawn for them. At least her mom hadn't bought a house that had a rice field to watch over. Thank goodness for small favors.

Glancing up at the house, she mused, "Hey, Shingo?"

"Yeah?"

She glanced down at her brother. He was sprawled across the ground with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. "I was just thinking. There are only four rooms upstairs, right? Yours, mine, Mom's, and the bathroom."

"Right..." He shot her a curious glance, interest piqued. It wasn't often that his sister had abstract thoughts. It was an even rarer occurrence for her to share them with him.

"The attic is a lot smaller than the first two floors, isn't it?"

"I hadn't noticed."

"Think about it. The entrance is at the end of the hallway, but I don't think that it goes all the way to the other end because Mom didn't hear me making a lot of noise up there the other night, even though her room is right next to yours. I know you heard me." She smiled sheepishly.

"Mm, the house just slants and gets smaller the further up you go."

"Only the ceiling does. In general, houses tend to be pretty linear. Besides, look at the windows. Only one has a set of curtains. I don't remember seeing any curtains upstairs, do you?"

He tilted his head and analyzed the house. "Well, obviously they're there."

"But they weren't the other night when I cleaned the windows."

An eager expression slipped across Shingo's face. "Do you think the ghost put them there? You're finally starting to believe me, aren't you?"

Giving him a look, she dryly replied, "Actually, I was thinking that there might be another room up there, but since you just mentioned your ghost friend, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that this was another of your pranks."

"He's real," Shingo whined. Pouting petulantly, he added, "You just don't believe me."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." She propped her rake against a nearby tree and brushed the debris from her clothing.

"You're going up there?" Shingo stood abruptly, causing remnants of leaves to fall from his hair.

Usagi eyed her brother suspiciously. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't?"

"No, I just want to come, too."

She shot him a withering look. "Why? Did you set another trap for the ghost and you're afraid I'll find it and tell Mom?"

"No~o, Usagi-baka. I just don't want you to have an adventure without me." He raised his fist into the air. "We're going ghost-hunting. Yeah!"

Usagi rolled her eyes and restrained the grin that threatened to slip across her face. Her brother was really something else. Giving him a once-over, she briskly stated, "You can't come with me unless you clean yourself up. I'm not about to get into trouble for not cleaning the floors because you shed leaves all over the place. Once was enough for the day."

Shingo grumbled, but quickly shook out his clothes and ran his hand through his hair. "Better?"

"Much."

Quickly heading inside, Usagi peered around the room. Not seeing her mother, she let out a quick breath of relief and hurried upstairs. Pulling at the trapdoor to the attic and lowering the ladder, she carefully climbed up, Shingo right behind her.

She straightened slowly and analyzed the attic. There was a pile of rubbish waiting to be taken out on trash day. The last owner had made a mess up here and Usagi had finally begun to sort through everything because no one else had wanted to do it. She liked coming up here by herself. It was her own private place. Once it was clean and she was no longer inhaling dust, she'd be up here all the time.

She glanced over at the windows and frowned. There weren't any curtains in sight. She analyzed her brother as he finished climbing the ladder. He had been with her the entire time, so this definitely wasn't another one of his tricks. She bit her lip and walked over to the window on the opposite end of the attic. Peering outside, she looked for the tree she had rested her rake against. It was a bit to her left, across from where the window with curtains had been.

Ignoring her brother and his squeals about the ghost moving things around, she reached for the rusty window latch and pulled at it until it began to move. Brushing auburn flakes from her hands, she pulled the pane up, causing it to squeak loudly in protest. Lowering her hands onto the chipped windowsill, she stuck her head out the window, leaning until her shoulders prevented her from going any further. She stretched her neck and peered to her left. _Bingo._ Her lips curled with satisfaction. Feeling Shingo tug at the back of her shirt, she kicked out her foot to prod him away, afraid that he'd cause her to lose her balance.

If there was a window, there must be a room, right? She slowly pulled herself back into the attic and brushed her hands against her jeans.

"Did you see anything?" Shingo asked, eyes alight with excitement.

"Yeah, actually, I did."

"Seriously?" Shingo scurried over to the window and hung half his body out. Usagi rolled her eyes and placed a hand on his back to ensure he wouldn't fall out.

"Wow," he exclaimed, voice muffled. "That's so cool!"

"Come back inside before you fall and break your neck, Shingo." Usagi placed her hands against his hips and tugged, stumbling backwards as he leaned his weight against her. "Geez, you're heavy. What have you been eating, rocks?"

"Only when Mom slips them into my lunch. I prefer snakes and snails and puppy dog tails."

Usagi smothered a laugh. "Well, I knew that much."

Shingo grinned and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You were right, Usa." A pained expression flitted across his face at the foreign words.

"Of course I was right. I'm older, remember?" She lightly ruffled his hair.

He glanced at the wall. "I don't see a doorway."

"Maybe it's a fake wall?" She pursed her lips as she analyzed it. "Why don't you go get that hammer of yours?"

He gave a gleeful shout. "You're going to knock it down, aren't you?"

"Of course not, baka. Mom would kill me."

"Why do you need my hammer, then?"

"Get it and I'll show you." Watching as he scurried away, she tentatively ran her hand against the wall, the texture of the wallpaper smooth against her palm. Turning as she heard her brother clambering back up the ladder, she crossed her fingers for luck. She had great hopes for their impending discovery. Accepting the hammer as Shingo handed it to her, Usagi stared at it, confused. "Shouldn't it have two heads?"

"What are you talking about, Usa? You asked for a hammer."

"Yeah, but shouldn't it have two heads rather than these two prong-thingies?"

"Oh, you mean like a ball-peen hammer?"

"A what? It has a big head like this, but also a little one on the other side."

"Yeah, I have one of those."

"Can you get it?"

"What am I, your personal servant?"

"Well, they're your tools. Besides, you'd flip if I went nosing through your stuff."

"Okay, okay." He shot his sister a disgruntled look, but a trace of humor lingered in his eyes as he ran toward the steps once more.

After coming back with the proper tool and passing it off to his sister, Shingo watched her gently take it and begin tapping the smaller end against the wall. "What are you doing?" he asked, intrigued. He had never seen this side of his sister before. It was almost...cool. Not that he'd ever tell her that.

"Shh, you'll see." Moving closer to the corner of the attic as she tapped against the wall, she suddenly hit paydirt. "I found it," she breathed.

"Found what?"

"The entrance, dummy."

"How do you know?"

"Come here." Once he was in front of her, she maneuvered his head closer to the wall. "Here, listen." Softly striking the wall, a hollow sound rang out. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah."

She moved the hammer to the right and softly tapped it against the wall again. "Do you hear the difference? This part of the wall is solid. I would say that there's a plank or something obstructing the doorway here, why is why it sounds different."

"What do you think is in there? Obviously the people who did this didn't want anyone to find the room."

Usagi shrugged. "That's what we're about to find out."

"Maybe we shouldn't."

She glanced over at him, surprised. "Why not?"

"Well, what if that's the ghost's room?"

Usagi groaned. "Shingo..."

"Seriously, Usa! Maybe the ghost has no place else to go and boarded up this room so that nobody else could use it."

She pressed her brother's hammer against her palm, deep in thought. "Do you still have that hammer with the two prong-thingies on one end?"

"It's called a hammer, Usagi. That's what hammers are supposed to look like, unlike the one you wanted earlier."

"Oh, right. Well, is it still up here? Oh, and what about a screwdriver, do you have one of those, too?

"Yeah, but what about—"

"Now, Shingo."

"Fine, fine. Man, you sure are bossy." He sighed huffily as he exited the attic once more.

Usagi frowned at the wall and ran her hands over the spot she deemed to be different from the rest. It had a coarser texture to it, unlike the smooth feeling associated with other parts of the wall.

Feeling a burst of warmth as Shingo approached her from behind, she held out a hand expectantly, reveling as a cool, metallic object was placed against her skin. She brought the tool to her face and frowned. It had a long mahogany handle that curved into a flat square of metal, reminding her a bit of a spatula. "Shingo, what's this? It looks kind of dangerous."

"It's a pry bar. You should use this instead of a screwdriver if you're going to try to get in between the cracks of a doorway."

She turned it over, watching the metal gleam against the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Her little brother wasn't as useless as she'd thought. "Thanks, Shingo. This will be good."

"So, what are you going to do? You're not just going to bash at the wall, are you? Mom'll kill you—and me, too, since I gave you the tools."

"Maybe you should do it. You're better with tools than I am."

"No way! I'm still not sure you aren't crazy."

"Yeah, well, I could say the same thing. Really, Shingo, a ghost?"

After a brief squabble, Usagi turned her focus back to the wall looming before her. "So, I guess first, we should figure out exactly where the doorway is." She felt the wall again with her hands. The part of wall she presumed to be the doorway wasn't perfectly aligned with the wall portions on either side of it. It had a slight inwards dip, allowing the paper to cave backwards at her push. "So now...should I use your pry bar-thingie?"

"You shouldn't chip at the wood or whatever if you can't see it, Usa."

"That's why I'm thinking about cutting away the edge of this paper and outlining a door. Should I use it by itself, or bang the hammer against it?"

"You won't cause so much damage if you just cut away at the paper. If you hammer at it, you'll cause more damage."

"Sure you don't want to do it?"

"Absolutely."

Grasping the pry bar in her right hand, Usagi slowly stepped forward and placed it against the wall. She ran the edge along the wall until it slipped against a small niche. Taking a deep break, she pushed the tool inward and started pulling it down. As she chipped away at the wallpaper, a thin line began to mar the floral design of the wall. By the time she was done, the line had morphed into a rectangular shape.

"It really was a doorway, wasn't it?" Shingo's eyes gleamed as the promise of adventure loomed in the air, casting a rosy glow upon his cheeks.

"Okay, so we have an outline to work with. How do we break it down?"

"Well, be gentle. We don't know how stable the walls are. Since you've carved a line where the doorway is, it should be easy to wedge the pry bar in there—gently, Usa, don't ram it! Yes, like that. Tap it gently, and see if you can push at the wood. Does it feel like it's caving inwards or outwards? You might want to pull it out instead."

"Um—" Usagi fiddled with the tool, her hand against the wall. She pulled the pry bar back and forth. "I think it wants me to pull it this way."

"Okay, move the stool to the side so that when you pull, you won't get hit by anything."

"Do you have another of these? Maybe it would be better if we both do it at the same time."

"No, but I have a crowbar, which is similar. Let me go grab it."

Usagi stepped down to the floor and wiped the back of her hand against her sweaty forehead. Who knew that working with tools could be so exhausting? She shot Shingo a grateful smile as he returned to the attic with not only a crowbar and chair, but two bottles of water.

"You read my mind, Shingo, thank you." She pressed the bottle against her forehead and the back of her neck, allowing it to cool her overheated skin, then rapidly downed half of the contents.

"Let's do this." She stood and climbed onto the stool once more. Once Shingo was across from her on his chair, she proclaimed, "Okay, ready, and, _sei, nou_!" ***-1**

Together, they began prying at the wood boarding up the door until it slowly began to give, splintering in jagged chunks as it was pulled to the floor. Once the last of the wood had fallen, Usagi stared down at the sea of broken remnants at their feet. "We probably should have grabbed some indoor shoes to wear up here or something. Be careful where you step, okay? There's a broom in the corner, um—" ***-2**

"I'll get it. There's more wood near you and you're not outside as much as I am, so your feet aren't as tough."

Usagi shot her brother a wavery smile, touched at his concern. "Thanks, Shingo." She watched as he pushed the worst of the debris toward the middle of the room before turning back to her.

"We can chuck this stuff later. For now, let's explore!"

"Sounds good to me!" Usagi grinned and hopped off the stool. Feeling her brother grab her hand, she gave him a light squeeze. Dust lingered in the air and the newly-revealed room was pitch-black, hiding its contents from her location in the doorway. Taking a deep breath, she clung a little closer to Shingo and stepped through the doorway, ready to face the unknown...

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** "_Sei, nou_!" (Sounds like 'Say no!') is a Japanese phrase that sort of translates into, "Ready, go!" or "Ready, now," etc. You say it and then everyone says the same thing at the same time or starts counting together. It's a really useful phrase!

**Cultural Note #2:** In Japan, shoes aren't worn in the house unless they're special indoor shoes. There are special shoes to wear at school, too, and sometimes, when you go into an office or various other buildings, there is a type of rubber slipper that you can wear indoors so that you don't wear your dirty shoes inside.

**AN:** The idea to use a pry bar came from a forum poster at www (dot) handymanwire (dot) com, and the specifics of actually USING the tool, came from www (dot) pbs (dot) org (slash) wttw (slash) handymaamtv (slash) toolfacts405 (dot) htm.

A very special thank you not only to **my editor Kel**, but to **her fabulous husband** as well. He checked my "tool scene" to see if I did it right. I was surprised to hear I had, even down to the chunks and the wriggling! I looked up how to use a pry bar, but I had to envision and input the details myself, which is really hard since I don't know the process. (Um, that's also why there isn't any more detail than what you see. Sorry!) Also, thank you to **my fabulous new beta, HogwartsDuchess**. I love you so much and am excited that we're going to beta one another from now on!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•» **

**«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•» **

**«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»**


	5. Protector of the Small

Beauty in the Breakdown

Chapter 5: Protector of the Small

By Baine

Email: lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com

Finished: May 18th, 2007

Posted: October 6th, 2007

**AN:** For those asking, by the end, this will be a Usagi/Mamoru fic. Mamoru won't be making an appearance into the story for a few chapters yet because there are a couple of other story arcs going on, so bear with me for a while. ^.^

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter Five: Protector of the Small**

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»  
**

Stepping into the dusty room, Usagi straightened slowly. Everything was covered beneath layers of grime and dust. She flicked the light switch near her hand, but nothing happened.

"Wow," breathed Shingo in awe. "This place looks like it hasn't been touched in years."

"Obviously not, since it was boarded up and all."

"Well, yeah, but look at all this stuff. Trophies on shelves, laundry in the hamper, papers scattered across the desk, a partially unmade bed..." His eyes shone with excitement. "It's almost as though someone wanted to leave the room untouched."

Usagi ran her finger along the top of a nearby dresser, leaving behind a mahogany line on its otherwise-gray surface. "I don't see why, I mean, it's a perfectly good room."

Shingo shifted uncomfortably, the euphoria of adventure beginning to die off. "Hey, Usa?"

"Yeah?" She stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, analyzing the space around her.

"I think this room does belong to the ghost. It looks like his family boarded it up so that his room could serve as a memorial or something."

Usagi shot him an apathetic glance. "Your ghost has a gender now?"

"Well, the clothes in the hamper weren't made for a girl. Besides, look at the decorations and stuff. It's clearly a guy's room."

"Was."

"What?"

"It was a guy's room. It isn't anymore." Ignoring her brother's whining, she pivoted full-circle, debating where to start.

"But the ghost—"

"—is a figment of your imagination." Usagi pulled the half-empty hamper into the middle of the room and began chucking stuff into it.

"What are you doing?" Shingo asked, eyes wide as he watched his sister take a bulletin board off the wall.

She turned to frown at him. "Cleaning this place up. Are you going to help or stand there and gawk at me?"

"You can't just throw this stuff out. It belongs to the ghost!"

Usagi sighed impatiently. "Well, if it does, then he no longer needs it in the afterlife, right?" She walked to the window and pried it open, allowing sunshine to spill into the room as she added the curtains to her pile of trash.

"We don't really need an extra room, do we? Why can't we just leave this one alone?"

Usagi frowned. "Do you think Mom wants this furniture? If not, maybe we can sell it." She headed out of the room and climbed down the ladder, jumping off the last run and brushing her hands against her pants.

Poking her head into the stairwell, she called, "Hey, Mom? You home?"

A moment later, her mother came to the foot of the steps. "Do you have to bellow like a banshee, Usagi? You could come find me, you know."

"Yeah, but this way's faster."

Ikuko refrained from rolling her eyes. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, can you come up to the attic for a minute?"

"The attic? Did you finally finish cleaning it?" She eyed her daughter's haphazard appearance. Her face was smeared with dirt and her hair was adorned with dust and flakes of...woodchips?

Usagi chuckled nervously. "Er, not exactly. It's something even better!"

Ikuko raised an eyebrow. She had told Usagi she could do whatever she wanted with the space once it was habitable. What was better than a clean attic? "Okay, okay. Let me finish putting the clothes in the dryer and I'll be right up."

"Thanks, Momma." Usagi bounded back to the ladder and climbed up, impatiently pacing the length of the attic until her mom re-appeared.

"What did you want to show me, Usa?"

Usagi grinned and led her mother to the other end of the attic. "Shingo and I found a hidden room up here."

Ikuko blinked, startled. "How did you manage that?" She analyzed the jagged entranceway looming before her. "Did you break down the wall? Usagi..."

"Don't worry. I analyzed the area and only removed a plank that had been blocking the doorway. I didn't go out of my way to destroy the house."

Usagi skipped ahead into the room, looking happier than she had since the move. Ikuko coughed as she stepped through the doorway and into the dusty room.

"Anyway, there's lots of furniture and stuff. We could have a yard sale or take it to an auction house or Salvation Army or something."

Looking around in wonder, Ikuko reveled in her children's discovery. "I gather that you know what you want to do with the room, then?"

"I want to move my bedroom up here. Is that okay? You'll be able to get a good night's sleep more often if Shingo and I aren't right next to one another."

"It will be really hot during the summer and really cold in the winter. There's no insulation up here."

"Yeah, but we still have a few months until it'll get cold. I could buy one of those air conditioners that doubles as a heater. The traditional space heaters and fans will work, too."

"I don't know how the last inhabitants got all this furniture up here, but it'll be harder to get such big things down that rickety pull ladder."

Usagi blinked, surprised. "Do you think there's a real stairwell hidden up here, too?"

"If there is, you're not going to go looking for it, Usagi. You got lucky with the room. I won't have you putting holes all over the place."

Usagi pouted. "Well, I guess I can use this furniture. Would we at least be able to get my mattress and headboard up here?" She crinkled her nose at the idea of sleeping on an old, used mattress.

Ikuko gave the room another once-over. "This is really what you want, Usa?" She watched her daughter nod fervently. "Well, I guess it'll be okay."

"Thanks, Momma!" Usagi enthusiastically threw her arms around her mother.

"You didn't let me finish," Ikuko wheezed as she tried to loosen Usagi's death-grip. "When the electrician comes to fix the wiring in the basement on Friday, I'll have him check up here as well. If everything looks good and the line can handle an AC, I'll let you have the room."

Usagi squealed happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Where's Shingo, anyway? I thought you said he was up here with you?"

Usagi shrugged. "I don't know, I think he went to the bathroom. He's probably setting another ghost trap. He's paranoid because he thinks the ghost lives here."

Ikuko wearily rubbed her forehead. "That boy..."

"Do you want me to save any of this stuff to sell? There are some clothes in the dresser and stuff, but..." She held up a shirt for inspection. "...they're all pretty old-fashioned. People wouldn't even wear this stuff for cosplay." Her frown deepened. "Looks like the moths have gotten to some of it, too."

"Go ahead and chuck it. Only keep the stuff that might be useful. I trust your judgment."

Usagi grinned at her mom, then lightly began to hum as she turned back to the open wardrobe.

Ikuko was in awe at her daughter's sudden transformation. Gone was the sullen girl who had been moping around the house disguised as her daughter. It was as though Usagi had been born anew. If this was what it took to get her daughter back, Ikuko was willing to go the distance in order to make things work out.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

He was furious. Never had anyone touched his belongings so carelessly before. On top of that, the spoiled princess had deemed his stuff to be trash. He pulled a tarnished trophy from a black Hefty bag. He had won this at a huge track meet. It represented a multitude of high school memories.

Knotting the bag, he dragged it back to his room, removing each item and returning it where it belonged. Leaning warily against his desk, he stared at the open doorway. He'd almost forgotten what it looked like.

He could remember standing in this same spot as he watched his father remove the door before boarding the entranceway with a plank and covering the entire attic wall with wallpaper. The paper was full of huge flowers in garish shades of orange. By hiding the room, his father had been able to cover up the fact he'd ever had a son. Doing this, he no longer had to feel like a failure; the 'imperfection' that blighted his life had been permanently removed from sight.

The memory still hurt. Pushing it out of his mind, he continued to empty the trash bags. He couldn't wait to see the pampered blonde's reaction the following day.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

"Shingo~o!" Usagi screeched. The house shook as she stormed downstairs and grabbed her brother by his shirt collar. "What have you done?"

Clawing at his sister's hands, Shingo fervently shook his head. "Nothing," he wheezed, gasping for air.

"Don't. Lie. To. Me."

"I'm not!"

"No?" She pushed him out of his room and to the pull ladder leading to the attic. Following close on his heels, she glowered at him as she stepped into the attic and shoved him toward her new room. "If you didn't do anything, why is all the crap I threw out yesterday back again?"

"The ghost probably did it. I told you not to chuck his stuff, but you didn't listen."

Usagi clenched her fists. "Enough about your imaginary ghost, Shingo. I'm so sick of hearing such a flimsy excuse. Stop pretending to be a little kid. Take responsibility for your actions for once." She strode over to large black garbage bags littering the floor and began to fill them anew, muttering to herself as she began to work.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

This same procedure was repeated every day for the next week. Usagi was tempted to sit outside overnight until the trashmen stopped by just to make sure that Shingo couldn't sneak anything back into the house. Knotting the last garbage bag, she started to head downstairs, but stopped when she heard someone climbing the ladder.

Seeing Shingo's head emerge as he entered the attic, she scowled angrily. "Are you going to start pulling the bags apart right in front of me today?"

Shingo frowned at his sister. "I keep telling you I'm not doing this, baka." He scuffed his toe against the floor. "Usagi, listen. Obviously the ghost doesn't want his stuff to be thrown away." Ignoring his sister's impatient sigh, he added, "For now, why don't we move his stuff into the room you're moving out of?"

"Mom hasn't said I can move for sure yet. I don't want this junk cluttering up my room."

"It isn't junk."

"Then keep it in your own room, Shingo."

"But—"

Usagi lifted her head, giving her brother a hard stare. "If it isn't junk, you won't mind keeping it, right? Either keep it in your own room or I'll personally see that the trashman takes it tomorrow."

"Okay, fine." Sulking, Shingo grabbed two bags and headed to the ladder.

Usagi smiled triumphantly. _Finally._ She had won the war. The electrician was coming tomorrow, and if all went according to plan, Usagi could move into her new room by the end of the weekend. Gloating, she pulled a pile of cleaning supplies into the room and rid it of the last dredges of dust still lingering in the vicinity.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Walking home from school on Friday, Usagi made a small detour to pick up some ingredients her mother needed for dinner. By the time she left the store, the sun had begun to set. Autumn had finally arrived. The worst thing about the season was the fact that it got dark so much earlier than usual. It felt as though her free time was slipping away like sand through an hourglass.

Crossing a small bridge, she heard a scuffle at the edge of the riverbank, followed by a loud splash. Suspiciously, she made her way toward the sound. Her curiosity piqued as she saw a young boy about her brother's age kneeling in the mud. A small brown box floated in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, coming up behind him and attempting to see what was in the sinking box.

"N-Nothing." The boy's eyes widened and he quickly stood, running away before Usagi could get a good look at him.

Moving forward, she gasped as she was finally able to see inside the box. Wading into the water, she caught it by the edge and pulled it toward her, the soggy cardboard buckling beneath her touch. Once it was out of the water, she reached inside to pull out the two kittens cowering in fear. She winced in pain as one of them bit her thumb as she pulled it out.

"None of that," she scolded. "I did save you, after all." Balancing the black kitten on her knees, she bent to grab the white one still clawing at the box.

"There now, you're safe." Shrugging out of her school coat, she wrapped the two cats carefully, hoping to dry them off and keep them warm. She brought the bundle to her chest and hurried to get home. By the time she arrived, she was panting and out of breath. *-1

Scowling as Usagi entered the kitchen, Ikuko placed her hands on her hips and drew herself up to her full height. "Where have you been, young lady? I told you not to dawdle, didn't I? Now dinner's going to be late, and—"

"Momma, I'm sorry." Usagi held out her writing bundle. "I stopped to save two kittens that a boy was trying to drown." She placed her jacket on the floor and unraveled it, revealing two shivering balls of fur.

Her anger instantly forgotten, Ikuko rushed forward and bent down. "Oh, the poor dears. It's lucky you got there when you did."

'Can we keep them?"

"Oh, I don't know, Usagi."

"Please? They're too young to fend for themselves in the wild."

Ikuko sighed, her heart melting at the sight of her daughter clutching the calmer kitten to her chest while the black one kept trying to slink away. Perhaps a kitten would help Usagi overcome her loneliness? Caving in, she wearily nodded in agreement. "I suppose it's all right. You're in charge of feeding them and cleaning up after them, though."

Usagi rewarded her mother with a dazzling smile. "Thanks, Momma, you're the best!"

Getting out two small bowls from the cupboard, Ikuko filled them with water and set them on the floor. "Have you decided on any names yet?"

Usagi frowned thoughtfully as she placed the cats in front of the water. "Not really. They both have these weird bald spots on their foreheads, though. The marks look a little like the crescent moon. I might call them Luna and Artemis. We learned about the two deities recently in a mythology unit at school."

Ikuko smiled indulgently. If these kittens had Usagi remembering her school lessons, she could definitely condone the extra mouths in the kitchen. Humming happily, she warmed a pan of milk and poured the frothy liquid into two more bowls, setting them next to the water dishes. Grinning at her daughter's incredulous expression, she demurely stated, "Well, it's their first night and they've been through a lot, right? They deserve a special treat."

Usagi stroked the white kitten's back as his pert pink tongue lapped at the milk.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll go to Jusco and buy some supplies for them, okay?" ***-2**

"Sounds good." Usagi couldn't take her eyes off the kittens. How could someone do something so vile?

Bringing the small balls of fluff to her room and depositing them on her mattress, she looked around at her threadbare surroundings. "Sorry it's so empty, guys. I'm getting ready to move. You can come with me, okay?"

The small violet-black kitten stared up at her and yawned, curling against Usagi's pillow and drifting off to sleep. Usagi smiled fondly as she watched the white kitten do the same.

"I'll be really good at keeping you company. I'm...I'm home a lot. I guess that works out in your favor, doesn't it?" Her smile faltered. "I hope you'll be happy here."

The wall separating Usagi's room from Shingo's shook as a loud bang was heard. Usagi looked up, startled. Shingo must be home from practice. ***-3** "Hey, Shingo?" She rapped her hand against the wall and heard a muffled response. "Can you come in here for a minute?"

Her brother warily poked his head into the room. "What did I do now?"

She almost laughed at his expression. She had trained him well, hadn't she? "Nothing—yet. I just had a question for you."

"Oh?" He leaned against the doorway and folded his arms. For a moment, Usagi was struck by the fact that he had begun to transform into a young man.

Blinking, she dragged her mind back on track. "Is there a boy at your school who wears a blue cap with a white 'Y' on the front?"

"A 'Y'?" he furrowed his brow. "Wait, do you mean the Yankees symbol?"

"The what?"

Shingo rolled his eyes. "You know, that American baseball team that Matsui Hideki plays on?" ***-4**

Usagi shrugged. "All I know about baseball is that you're always staying after school to play it."

"Well, it was probably a Yankees cap."

"If you say so. Anyway, do you know if you have a classmate who owns a cap like that?"

"I don't know, maybe. Why?"

Usagi shifted, revealing the two kittens cuddled together against her pillow. "A boy wearing your school's uniform was trying to drown these little guys in the river. I didn't get a good look at him before he ran away, but I did notice the hat."

Shingo stepped further into the room, eyes on the sleeping kittens. "Mom said you could keep them?"

"Yeah."

"I can't think of anyone, but I'll keep an eye out, okay?"

"Thanks."

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

The weekend flew by and Usagi became more enamored than ever with her newfound playmates. She could watch them for hours. After making sure Shingo wouldn't torture the kittens, she left them in his care while she brought the last of her belongings up to her new room. Flicking on the light, she reveled at the shiny wooden floor begging to feel feet against it once more and allowed the pungent aroma of lemon-scented cleaner to fill her nostrils. Her room. This was _hers._ There was even a small window seat. If Usagi was courageous enough, she could use it as leverage to climb out the window in order to shimmy down the tree that partially obstructed her view of the yard. With such a golden opportunity presenting itself to her, it was a pity she was afraid of heights.

She unpacked the last of her boxes and glanced around the room, satisfied. She hadn't been able to get her furniture up here, but her mom had been able to get the delivery men to bring up her new mattress and get rid of the old one. Usagi had to buy a twin mattress because her king was too big to get upstairs. ***-5**

Her only condolence was the fact she'd be able to use her own furniture again when she was ready to move out of the house. In the meantime, it would be kept in her old bedroom, which had officially become a guestroom.

Usagi brought the empty boxes into the attic and broke them down, then went downstairs to find Shingo and retrieve her kittens. Her mom had bought a huge cat bed for the two of them. At the moment, they were small enough to share. Taking the bed from Shingo, she brought it upstairs and placed it at the foot of her own bed. The violet-black kitten, Luna, immediately tumbled off the soft cushion and began to explore her new environment, tail swishing suspiciously as she reared back and pounced on her owner's schoolbag.

She smiled and picked up the little white kitten, Artemis, curling him against her chest as she sank onto her bed. After finding out he was a boy, Shingo had started teasing her about the fact that she'd given the kitten a girl's name. Usagi didn't care, though. The name was perfect and Artemis had already begun responding to it. Usagi did, however, give him the more masculine-sounding nickname 'Arty.'

As she leaned her head against a pillow, she felt a prickling sensation at the nape of her neck. Feeling as though someone was watching her every move, she glanced around, laughing nervously as she felt a warm body press closer to her own. She wasn't used to having animals so close to her all the time. Blinking drowsily, she smothered a yawn. Perhaps she should call it an early night. Moving had really worn her out.

As her limbs began to relax, she felt the kitten in her arms start to squirm around. He frantically batted his paws against her, causing her to open her eyes and peer down at him. "What's the matter, Arty?" She frowned in concern as she felt his small body begin to tremble.

His hair stood on end and a yowl came from deep within his throat. His pupils dilated and he bared his teeth. Tilting his head as his eyes wildly scanned the room and flexed his nonexistent claws, Artemis frothed at the mouth and snarled, _"Get out and leave me alone!"_

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**CULTURAL NOTE #1:** "Wait, why is Usagi wearing a school coat?" Students in Japan wear two uniforms. There is an official day when the uniform changes over in the fall and in the spring so that students will be better-prepared for warm/cold weather. Usagi's uniform is no longer the same one I described in an earlier chapter. ^_^

**CULTURAL NOTE #2:** JUSCO is a huge department store chain throughout Japan. It usually has many stories—my local one has eight stories! It's kind of like a mall of its own. Many JUSCO stores have a food department on the first floor, then floors of clothing, books, entertainment, drug store, perfume, kitchen stuff, tatami stuff, school supplies, a yen (dollar/pound/etc) store, etc, and on the top floor, there is a food court and, sometimes, an arcade. Other department stores in Japan are like this, too. JUSCO is one of the cheaper stores.

**CULTURAL NOTE #3:** There are many clubs and after-school activities in Japan. Students usually get to go home between 6-7 p.m.

**CULTURAL NOTE #4:** Matsui Hideki (Or Hideki Matsui, if you put his family name second a la the Western way) is very famous in Japan! Everyone knows his name. They also know Matsuzaka Daisuke (Daisuke Matsuzaka) from the Red Sox very well. Both men played baseball in Japan before getting new contracts in the States and many people will list one or both as favorite players! Part of this is also because baseball is very popular in Japan. Even high school baseball games air on TV!

**CULTURAL NOTE #5:** A lot of Japanese people still use futons and tatami rooms when sleeping, but there are also many who use Western-style beds. In the anime, Usagi uses a Western bed, and since she was wealthier in her "old life," I gave her a real bed and mattress here as well.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hm, originally, this chapter was combined with Chapter Four, but I split it. This chapter is thirteen pages, and the last was ten, so that would have been such a long chapter! Because I split it, I needed a new title. It took a long time, but then I decided I wanted to focus on the kitties. I came up with the word 'protector,' then thought and thought and finally chose "Protector of the Small" after recalling a book quartet by the fantastic author Tamora Pierce because it seemed to fit. What do you think?

Ahh, the ending wasn't quite as dramatic as I wanted it to be. Ah well, hopefully it still leaves you hanging until next time! ^.~

Thank yous go out to **Nephthys** and **Kelkatan** for all of their help!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•» **

**«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•» **

**«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»**


	6. Sweet Dreams, Good Night

"Beauty in the Breakdown"

Chapter Six: Sweet Dreams, Good Night

By Baine

Chapter 6/?

Finished: June 14th, 2007

Posted: November 11th, 2007

Sorry for the late update, but it wasn't ready before I left for a brief visit to the States, and then I came back and had to go to a conference and catch up at work. You won't wait nearly so long for the next chapter. Gomen, ne?

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter 6: Sweet Dreams, Good Night**

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Rearing back on his haunches as he snarled at Usagi, Artemis' eyes donned a hazy red tint.

Usagi gulped, frightened by the sight. Had she picked up some rabid, mutated stray? She glanced around for Luna, but didn't see her. _She's either afraid and hiding or about to launch a sneak attack, _she mused, turning her attention back to Artemis and watching warily as he climbed her torso. Her breath hitched in her throat as his small face came in contact with her own. Was he going to bite her?

Hissing angrily, the cat once more snarled, "Get out."

Usagi blinked, startled. Grabbing the kitten by his backside, she deposited him on the mattress and quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she peered down at him. "There is no _way_ my cat is talking to me. I must be going crazy."

She watched as he began to paw at her comforter. "Now, now, none of that, Arty. If you start forming bad habits now, you'll put holes all over the place when your claws start to grow.

The kitten's eyes glowed as he stared up at her and frothed, "I said, _get out_."

Usagi laughed. "Are you really telling me to get out of my own bedroom? If you don't want to be here, I can easily set you back out in the wild."

"Leave this house. Take your family. Go back where you belong."

Usagi's smile faltered and steel made its way into her cerulean eyes, where it was quickly concealed as a knock sounded at the door.

"Are you okay up here, Usa?"

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine."

"Is someone in there with you?"

"Just the cats, why?"

"I thought I heard talking."

"Nope, I was just telling the kittens a story so they'd fall asleep. It's their first night up here, after all, so they're a bit on edge."

"Well, sleep well. Sweet dreams, okay?"

"You too, Momma." She listened to her mother's footsteps as they faded from view. Turning back to her bed, she was surprised to see that Artemis had disappeared.

Glancing around the room, she saw two pairs of eyes glowing from the dark crevice beneath her desk. Stretching across her bed, she propped her chin and peered down at them.

"So you can talk." Her voice was soft and thoughtful. "Either that, or I'm finally going crazy. I don't understand why I'd imagine you saying things that were mean, though. Then again, you only said what I wanted to hear. After all, I'd love to have an excuse to leave this place."

The kittens, lulled out of hiding by the sound of Usagi's soothing voice, timidly crawled onto her bed and curled up with the frazzled girl. Lightly stroking their heads, she sighed wistfully. "Well, whether you can talk or not, I wouldn't mind having a confidant here. Talking to a cat isn't any crazier than hunting for a ghost, right?" She laughed harshly.

Cuddling her new pets close, she murmured, "You're really not supposed to sleep up here, but I suppose it's okay so long as Mom doesn't find out."

As she stroked Luna, she murmured, "Did that actually happen, or am I going crazy?"

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

He paced nervously. What he had thought to be a brilliant plan had officially backfired on him. For the past week, he'd possessed the male kitten in order to freak out the girl. He had to admit that it had seemed to work at first.

Unfortunately, she'd grown accustomed to the fact that one of her cats could talk. Each night, he'd start by asking why she hadn't left yet, but wound up playing the role of therapist as she vented to him. Her words almost made him want to cut her some slack.

Almost.

Even though he was discovering she wasn't quite the pampered princess he'd made her out to be, he still wanted her to leave, but was finding it hard to be cruel when he could feel her aura overflowing with unhappiness. If she didn't like it here, why didn't she convince her mom to go back home? He'd seen how the older woman bent over backwards in an attempt to make her daughter happy.

His essence currently possessing the white cat curled up in the girl's lap, he peered at her through feline-tinted eyes. It was a strange feeling to see what the world looked like when your eyes weren't quite human…or what had once been human, at any rate.

Stroking the cat as she smothered a yawn, the girl mused, "I'm glad I have you, Arty." Smoothing out his fur, she stated, "I know on an intellectual level that the fact you can talk is just a figment of my imagination, but it really helps to think I have a friend here that I can talk to."

He winced at her words. As much as it hurt him to hear what havoc his latest ploy was causing, he couldn't seem to stop. Had he ever thought he'd feel such emotions again? Maneuvering the conversation toward his goal, he forced his voice through the kitten and mused, "You know, if your mom found out you were having conversations with cats, she might be prone to realizing this is a bad environment for her kids. If you think you can speak with animals and your brother pretends there's a ghost living in the house in order to get away with more pranks, doesn't that mean something is wrong?"

She let out a mournful sigh. "You'd think. Mom would just say I'm trying to get attention, though. She wouldn't believe me." Furrowing her brow, she added, "If she did, she'd send me off to therapy. Since, y'know, I'm obviously so messed up and all."

Looking up at the girl sitting forlornly on her bed, he felt a pang in the cavity where his heart had once resided. What kind of girl had no one to confide in save for a mangy kitten?

"You've been here a few months now, right?" he mused, mind churning with how to turn this to his advantage.

"Unfortunately."

"If you try to make friends, you wouldn't have to rely on me."

Her expression softened. "I don't mind, Arty. I love you and Luna. It makes me happy to take care of you." She sighed and flopped backwards onto her bed. "Besides, the kids at school are stuck-up."

He raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle black? "Cats are stuck-up, too, you know. We like our space."

She absently stroked the cat's fur. "But you can also be friendly when you want to be. The kids at school," she frowned and stood, depositing the kitten onto the bed in the process, "they hate me just because I used to live in Tokyo. They think I'm too good for them and go out of their way to make my day miserable. They ruin my stuff and steal things from me and call me names. They aren't nice people."

Pacing the room, she added, "Cats aren't supposed to talk, so usually, they can't do that stuff." Almost tripping over the female kitten, she bent to pick it up, murmuring an apology as she stroked its head. Turning to look at the white kitten stretched languorously across the bed, she asked, "How come Luna can't talk?"

"Perhaps you only needed one friend?"

"But why not the female? Wouldn't she understand me better?"

He'd had enough of talking with the girl for the night. Their conversations were going past his realm of comfort. Fleeing the cat's body, he hovered as he watched the kitten blink before it flew off the bed and moved to cower beneath the desk.

The girl sighed and sat on her bed, her hand pressed against the warm spot the kitten had left behind. "I guess that's that, then." She rubbed at her eyes and peered in the direction where the small feline had fled to, then shrugged and turned off the lamp, draping the room in darkness.

Waiting until the sound of light snores filled the room, he turned and drifted through the wall. He was straying from his goal. He wanted the girl out of his room, out of his house. He shouldn't be encouraging her by possessing a cat for nightly chats. Then again, by doing so, he felt almost...human again. How long had it been since he'd conversed with another human being? He found that he'd actually missed doing so over the years. After all, even ghosts got lonely, especially when there was no one around to care.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Pushing the contents of her bento around with her chopsticks, Usagi stared aimlessly over the rooftop at the ground below. She'd been coming here at lunchtime for the past few days. It was peaceful and quiet. Nobody was around to taunt her or ruin her belongings.

Sure, it was a little nippy since the weather was getting colder, but she'd always loved the wind. Letting it wash over her and play with her hair and clothes always gave her a nice, relaxing feeling.

Hearing the door squeal as it creaked open, she turned to see who had invaded her privacy. Seeing no one there, she shrugged and turned back to the onigiri she'd just been about to bite into. Chewing slowly, she pondered the thought that she really was going crazy. Through a mouthful of rice, she mused, "This town really does have a bad influence on me."

"Why's that, because you're sitting up here all alone?"

Her heart jumped to her throat and Usagi nearly cried out in alarm. Struggling to maintain a nonchalant expression, she turned to see who had snuck up behind her. Seeing nothing but stormy eyes hovering above her, she tilted her head back for a better look. The boy standing beside her seemed impossibly tall. His raven hair was slicked perfectly across his scalp save for one long chunk that fell haphazardly into his eyes, daring someone to push it away. Glancing down at his pin, she observed that he was a third-year student.***-1**

"Can I help you?" her voice was cool and betrayed none of her inner turmoil.

"In many ways," he stated, grinning slowly as he squatted to sit beside her. "Why's a pretty girl like you up here all alone?"

Usagi shrugged and focused on her food. She didn't know why, but he made a feeling of awareness stir within her. Her stomach flipped over, unsettled. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. What was he up to? Was a new prank in the works?

He shot her a lopsided grin, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. "Do you make your own lunch?"

"No, my mom does."

"Pity," he mused, leaning closer and causing Usagi's stomach to churn again. "I would have swapped you in a heartbeat if it had been your own creation."

She eyed him curiously. "You're assuming I can cook."

"'Course you can. After all, cooking is a girl's prerogative."

"Not this girl's. We can't all cook well."

"Doesn't mean you don't know how, though," he winked and leaned forward, pressing his toned arms against the railing and peering at the ground below. "It's quiet up here."

"It was."

He turned to analyze her and a slow smile spread across his face. "Am I bothering you?"

Refusing to respond, she speared an octopus-shaped hotdog and popped it into her mouth.

"Silent type, eh?" he turned so she could see his profile in all its glory. "Or are you just shy?" Grinning, he twisted his tie around his neck. "What do you say we go out this weekend and get to know each other better?"

"I can't, sorry." Replacing the lid on her box, she grabbed her patterned handkerchief and tied everything back together.

Steel flashed in his eyes. "Can't or won't?"

"Both."

"You can't have it both ways, doll. You know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes right now? Not only that, but I'm going out on a limb just to talk to you, considering the fact that everyone in this school hates your guts. I'm popular enough to get the masses to accept you." His eyes glittered as he brought his face closer to her own. "Likewise, I can just as easily crush you."

Usagi lifted her chin in defiance. "I don't respond well to threats."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not threatening you."

"Look, I have a boyfriend, okay? I'm not interested in replacing him."

He reached out to play with a strand of her golden hair. "I can help you change your mind."

Jerking away from his touch, she countered, "You can go to hell, too, for all I care." Standing, she stalked toward the stairwell, allowing the door to slam shut behind her with a satisfying bang. She never saw the challenging look that sprang to his eyes or the wicked smile that slowly made its way across his face.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Numbers and fractions swirled before her eyes, culminating in a headache, which caused Usagi to flop back against her pillow. Why did she have to learn math, anyway? It wasn't important. She was never going to use it in her career or anything. She rolled over and stared at the closet, watching her uniform sway against the hanger.

Her eyes narrowed. Odd, she didn't remember leaving the window open. She turned her head and her eyes widened in fright as she noticed a figure silhouetting her window, his black hair falling roguishly into his eyes as he gave her a dark look. Her hair standing on end, she let out an ear-piercing scream and threw her textbook at the intruder, causing it to smash into the wall mere inches from his head. Rather than deter him, however, he shot her a menacing glare as he slowly moved toward her, causing her face to drain as she stood frozen to the spot, unable to move...

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**CULTURAL NOTE #1:** Some high schools in Japan have special pins or different uniform pieces, etc, to differentiate the grades. Not all schools do, though. They don't usually have different colored shoes the way some elementary and most junior high schools do. I decided on a pin for the difference at this school because it's small and discreet.

As always, thanks to Kel and Neph for going over this with me, esp. Neph, since she's been so busy lately!

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•» **

**«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•» **

**«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»**


	7. Proof of Life

"Beauty in the Breakdown"

Chapter Seven: Proof of Life

By Baine

Chapter 7

Finished: June 14th, 2007

Posted: December 16th, 2007

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Beauty in the Breakdown**

**Chapter 7: Proof of Life**

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Usagi stared at the man walking toward her and could only scream, hoping that he would take the cue to jump out the window and leave. She knew having a climbable tree outside her window was a bad idea. Her face paled as he continued toward her, his hands hidden behind his back, concealing his weapon of choice.

Oh god, was she about to die? She gulped at the dark glint in his eyes as she observed his slow stagger. No, first he'd rape her, then he'd kill her. She would never see Motoki or her friends again. She reached for her nightstand, grappling for her lamp. It was her favorite one, but if breaking it meant saving her life, so be it.

Her attention was diverted from the lamp as her door flung open with a bang, revealing her baseball-bat wielding mother and her water-gun toting brother. Ikuko looked around the room, perplexed. "Usagi, what on earth is the matter? Stop that wretched screaming this instant!"

Usagi closed her mouth and gestured toward her window. "You mean the fact that there's a strange man standing in my room isn't enough evi...dence..." Her eyes widened and she glanced around the room. "Where did he go? Did you see him move?"

After perusing the room and seeing nothing, Ikuko placed a hand upon her hip as she swiveled to glare at her daughter. "Usagi, this is not the way to get our attention. We don't need anyone else making up stories in this household."

"But I—"

"Screaming at the top of your lungs is not the way to do things around here, young lady. Do you understand?"

Usagi glanced behind her mother, her scowl deepening as she took in her brother's smug expression. Hanging her head, she stared at the floor and muttered, "Yes, ma'am."

She stood in that position until her mother flounced from the room, Shingo right behind her as he turned back to stick out his tongue at his despondent sister. Tracing the pattern of swirls in the wood beneath her feet with her big toe, she slowly raised her head and peered around at her room. Nothing was out of place, her uniform wasn't moving, and the window was still closed. Not counting the kittens, there wasn't another living being in sight.

Kneeling on the ground, she reached into the small cat bed and pulled the two balls of fluff into her lap. Stroking their heads, she asked, "I didn't make that up, did I? You saw him too, didn't you?"

Her only response was a bleary yawn from Luna and a low, rumbling purr from Artemis. Frowning, she mused, "I guess not. You wouldn't be this content if you had, right?"

Placing the kittens back into their bed, she stood and walked over to her window. Peering out the window, all she saw was the inky blackness of night. Shivering to herself, she pulled the curtains shut, picked up the discarded textbook lying at her feet, and walked back over to her bed. She had never been so grateful to have homework in her life. Maybe concentrating on math would chase her hallucinations away and she'd manage to overcome her nerves and get a good night's sleep.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Over the next couple of days, Usagi temporarily moved back downstairs to her old bedroom. She was too freaked out to stay in the attic by herself; every time she turned around, she kept thinking someone was lying in wait to attack her. She got goose bumps just entering the room.

After the third day of self-imposed exile, she decided it was time to stop being so silly. Even though the intruder had mostly likely been a figment of her imagination, it didn't mean she couldn't take precautionary measures for in case he hadn't. She would make sure her window remained locked 24/7, even when summer came around again. Her face drained of color. Would she really still be here by then? Summer was so far away. Would her friends even remember her this time next year if she didn't return to them?

Setting down the small box of stuff she'd brought back upstairs, she sank into the plush chair at her vanity stand and peered into the mirror at her pale features. She'd been thrilled to find out the small brass ensemble was light enough and thin enough to get up into the attic. She didn't know what she'd do without it, since Shingo always hogged the bathroom in the morning. He was almost as bad as a girl, unlike whatever boy had once lived in this room. Before she'd moved in and spruced the place up, there hadn't been a mirror in sight. Snorting disdainfully, Usagi bit her lip and pinched her cheeks to add some color to them. It was pointless to waste good makeup when no one was around to notice.

Feeling the hair at the back of her neck begin to itch, she glanced into the mirror and eyeballed the window, but there was nothing there. She was being paranoid again. Rolling a tube of nail polish between her palms, she decided it could double as a handy weapon should the need arise. She slowly pushed back her chair and stood, adjusting the strap of her thin nightshirt as it started to slide down her shoulder.

Kicking off her slippers and placing them into the small closet, she shuffled to her bed, freezing as she saw a man leaning over with his hand on Artemis' back. Her voice trembling, she managed to stutter, "What are you doing to my cat?"

He straightened and turned. In that moment, she saw that he wasn't a man at all, but a youth on the brink of adulthood. He was about her age, give or take a year or two. Her eyes widened as she realized it was the same person who'd been at her window earlier that week.

Clenching her fingers around the bottle in her hand, Usagi took comfort in its smooth surface. Trembling and drawing on sheer nerve, she added, "—and how did you get into my room?"

He analyzed her thoughtfully, his dark eyes burning with a light similar to that of a gleaming ember. "You see me?" he asked, voice rough and low.

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Of course I see you. You're standing right in front of me, aren't you?" Stepping backwards as he moved away from the bed, she added, "Breaking and entering is illegal, y'know."

He seemed taken back by her words. "And you hear me, too."

She scoffed and tossed her head. "What, do you think you're the Invisible Man or something? You've been reading too many American comic books if you do."

"No, just..." he trailed off and glanced at the small white cat still stretched across the bed.

Seeing the action and noticing that Artemis wasn't moving, she exclaimed, "What have you done to my cat?"

"He's fine, he's only...dreaming."

"What, did you drug him or something? How do you—Wait. Say that again." Her eyes narrowed. His voice, it was somehow...familiar.

"What? He's asleep. There's no need to get uppity, _Princess_."

Drawing herself up to her full height, Usagi proclaimed, "You have no right to insult me in my own bedroom. You're trespassing, after all."

He stuck his hands into his pockets. The edge of his lips quirked into a semblance of a smile. "You always strike up a conversation with trespassers?"

"No," she retorted sharply. Realizing the timing was just right, she launched the bottle of nail polish at him, watching in horror as it flew past and slammed against the wall. Luckily, the bottle wasn't glass, so it didn't shatter and spill all over the place. Her mom would have killed her if it had.

"That's the best you can do?"

"If you hadn't moved at the last minute..." Her eyes narrowed. Wait, he _hadn't_ moved. The bottle had gone straight through him—no, that wasn't possible. She was just hallucinating again. Of course he had moved. He must have. What other answer was there?

Listening as he taunted her with a cynical response, everything clicked into place. She recognized his voice. Her eyes slid to the cat lying prostrate across her bed, then flicked back to the intruder. "I know you," she uttered, eyes trained on his own as she awaited his reaction. Unfortunately, a raised eyebrow was her only response. Mustering together her thoughts, she breathed, "You're Artemis."

He frowned. It took a minute for the name to click. When it did, shock filled his eyes. "Your...cat?"

"You have his voice and everything. Plus, that bottle went straight through you." A feral look flitted into her eyes as a triumphant smile rose to her face. "You're his spirit, aren't you?"

He laughed, bemused. "Do I look like a cat to you?"

"Well, no, but cats aren't supposed to talk, either, so why can't they take on a human form?" She shrugged nonchalantly, but inside, her heart was racing. "Besides, you knew that Artemis was the name of my cat. That's an intimate detail an intruder would never know."

"I'm no intruder," he growled, eyes sharp as they pinned her in place. "And I'm sure as hell not a cat."

Usagi shot him a shrewd look, pushing her fear out of sight. "So who—or what—are you?"

"The true owner of this house."

She scoffed at the notion. "Please. This is my mom's house. She has the deed to prove it."

"But it wasn't always your room."

"No, but—" A knock sounded at the door. Sighing in frustration, Usagi turned as she heard her brother's voice coming from the other side. Tilting her head to keep an eye on the intruder as she called out a response, she frowned upon realizing that he was no longer in the room.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

He furiously paced up and down the attic. What was going on? How the hell had she been able to see him? In all his years as a ghost, no one had ever noticed him before.

It was impossible. You could only see ghosts if you believed in them and had the mentality of a psychic. The pampered princess certainly didn't. If anything, it should have been the boy who could see him. After all, he was a believer.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Why her? Why now? He had been near her hundreds of times and she'd never so much as blinked. What was so different about this month?

First, she'd seen him at her window and freaked, even though it had only lasted a second before he fled to another room. After that encounter, she'd been on edge whenever he was in the same vicinity. He could sense her constantly glancing around as though trying to discern his location. Then tonight...

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Had he created some sort of connection with her due to the fact he'd possessed her cat so many times? It didn't make any sense, but—

Wait. Her _cat_. That was it. He'd forgotten all about the fact.

His pacing began anew. It wasn't just intuits who had an ability to see him. If a person was lonely enough and had a big enough void in his or her life, those tendrils of emptiness were sometimes able to reach out to the spirit world and make a connection.

That must be it. There was no other possibility. He knew she'd said her cats were her only friends and that she had nothing here, but he hadn't realized she was being serious. He thought she was once more over-exaggerating her circumstances and having a pity party for herself.

His head spun at the notion. After all these years, he'd once again made contact with another human being. It was a powerful thought. He had to wonder, though, why that person had to be _her_.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Knocking softly on her brother's bedroom door, Usagi gently poked her head into his room. "Hey, Shingo, you still have all that crap from upstairs in here, right?"

Shingo eyed her warily. "Yeah, but you said you wouldn't dump it if I kept it in here."

"I won't, promise. I was just wondering if there might be an old yearbook mixed in with everything."

He eyed her and pursed his lips. "I think so, why?"

"I'm just curious. Don't you ever wonder what the boy who once lived here looked like?"

Shingo furrowed his brow. "We don't know his name, though."

"Bet it's on a trophy or something."

"Smart," he mused, casting her an appreciative look. Every now and then, she managed to come up with a good idea or two. He pulled a plastic bag out from beneath his bed and dumped the contents onto the rug. Picking up a dull red book, he blew off a layer of dust still clinging to its surface. "Here we are. What grade do you think he was in?"

"I dunno," she replied, attention diverted as she lifted a tarnished trophy from the ground. "Looks like his name was Chiba Mamoru." Her lips curved. "Protector, huh? Is that why your ghost is still hanging around this dump?" ***-1**

Throwing his sister a speculative look, he slowly flipped through the book. "Here we are, Chiba Mamoru. Looks like he was a senior at the time, not that this is the year he necessarily died or anything."

Licking her lips to wet them and wiping her damp palms against her pants, Usagi slowly took the book from her brother. Her skin tingled and her heart beat a little faster. Her eyes widened as she zoomed in on a young man with dark hair and a crooked smile. She didn't even have to look at the name. It was him. She'd been talking to him just last night. She swallowed at the thought. She'd been making conversation with a dead man.

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** Mamoru is the Japanese word for the verb "to protect."

**Author's Note:** The next chapter will be out…sometime in 2008. I'm actually caught up to what I've written. Well, that's not completely true. I have a bit written for a few chapters down the road, but I have to get there first. You'd think the next chapter would be the easiest to write since I'm finally getting to the crux of the story, but it hasn't been. Then again, my muse seems to be more focused on "As We Stumble Along" and original stuff, so I need to whip her butt into shape. (Speaking of AWSA, if you go through withdrawal due to waiting, please go read this story! It has very few reviews, and I'm sad because I'm enjoying writing it. The chapter that I just posted, Chapter Seven, is my absolute favorite so far. Granted, it's not a Usagi/Mamoru story, but they'll have a sub-plot, and chapter eight is almost entirely U/M, as will be a couple of future chapters. I'd really like to have more readers for that story, so if you enjoy my work and don't mind reading about other characters, please check it out! ^_^

As for this story, if you have any ideas to get my ball rolling again, please drop a line. If it's something I decide to use, I'll credit you when I write it. ^_^ I can't guarantee that I can do what you want because I already know my major story plot arcs that are molding my framework, but it's the in-between that's going through a lull, so any ideas to kick my muse into gear are highly appreciated. :) I might not get to it right away, though, because my goal for January is to do JanNoWriMo b/c November was too hectic for me, and I'm determined to finish my novel! I'll try to write a bit this week, though, but I can't make you any promises. I'm so sorry!

[I'll also be posting a brand-new story that I finished writing in April or May come Jan/Feb, and it WILL be a Usagi/Mamoru story—and only four chapters+Pro/Epi, so please watch out for it. I think it's another of my better works, and I've been putting off release for so long because I want it to be perfect. Please look for it!]

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, everyone! "Omedetou gozaimasu!"

And, as always, thank you to my lovely betas, especially Nephthys Moon, since she's really busy and still manages to squeeze time in for me. *loves her Squishy*

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today! (As a holiday/New Year's present, please send me a review! So many people are adding this story to alert/fave/etc, and there aren't so many people reviewing it. Please send this story—and me—a little love if you're enjoying it! Onegaishimasu!

«•´`•.(*•.¸(`•.¸ ¸.•´)¸.•*).•´`•»

«•´¨*•.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.•*¨`•»

«•´`•.(¸.•´(¸.•* *•.¸)`•.¸).•´`•»


	8. Moonlight Secrets

"Beauty in the Breakdown"

Chapter Eight: Moonlight Secrets

By Baine

Chapter 8

Finished: June 30th, 2008

Posted: September 14, 2010

***—(number)** _Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story._

**AN:** Guys, I can't tell you how sorry I am for the long delay. If you're still sticking with me, thank you. There's really no excuse for it. The best I can say is that life got busy, I've been on the internet a lot less, have been focusing on original works more, and, most of all...I've been through a few different editors and can't seem to stick with one. So from here on out, I don't have an editor again. I've been trying to find someone new to no avail. I apologize right now for any and all mistakes from here out. One of my former editors once said that this particular chapter was one of my worst pieces of writing ever. It doesn't seem that bad to me, and I've been over it time and again. Finally, I decided to just go ahead and post it anyway, or this story would never come to a conclusion. I'm sorry right now for how bad it might be!

Also, the earlier chapters have been revised and edited, so yay!

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Beauty in the Breakdown

Chapter 8: Moonlight Secrets

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

Never in a thousand years would Usagi have expected to believe that Shingo's imaginary ghost was actually _real._ She didn't believe in beings trapped between two worlds; the only real spirits were the ones who created everything, and she only believed that because she was raised Shinto.She couldn't stretch her imagination any further than that, though. Beings such as ghosts and shinigami simply didn't exist outside the world of entertainment. ***-1, *-2**

Then again, she'd seen him with her own two eyes. It couldn't be her mind playing tricks on her because she hadn't seen his picture before now, unless... "Hey, were there any other pictures lying around when we boxed up the room?" she asked Shingo, looking at the debris spread across her brother's floor. Could she have subliminally seen his face before she'd 'seen' him for the first time the night before?

Shingo furrowed his brow and shot his sister a skeptical look. "I dunno, maybe. I haven't gone through all the bags yet. Why, want a new pin-up poster or something?"

"Like I'd want a photo of a dead boy," she scoffed. "He isn't even all that attractive." She bit the inside of her cheek so that she'd maintain a straight face as the blatant lie slipped past her tongue.

"Then why ask, dipshit?"

She shot him a quelling look. "'Cuz the photo's blurry, moron."

"Don't call me that; I'm smarter than you!"

"Yeah, well don't call me dipshit."

Shingo leaned across the floor to once more take hold of the yearbook. They wrestled over it for a minute, then he let go and settled for peering upside-down at the picture. "You're right; he does live up to his name. He was probably pulling all those pranks on us because he was trying to protect his turf. Maybe we'd better give him his room and all his stuff back."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "You're such a geek, Shingo."

"Yeah, well, it takes one to know one!"

"Real mature," she muttered. Only her brother would take a sarcastic remark about the meaning of someone's name at face value. Her scorn faded as she realized that if this ghost really did exist, maybe it wasn't too far off to say that he was living up to his name and protecting what was his. She shifted uneasily, unwilling to tell her brother about her sudden change of heart, knowing he'd tease her mercilessly. If there was one thing you never did, it was tell a younger sibling that you were wrong, even when it was the truth.

"You know," Shingo mused, pulling his sister from her thoughts, "Mamoru must have been only a year or two older than you when he died, Usa."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're on familiar terms already?" ***-3**

"He's a member of our family now. Well, sort of."

Usagi stared down at his picture again. He could have been someone she knew in real-life save for the old-fashioned haircut and uniform.

"He went to the local high school, too, just like you." Shingo ran his thumb across the photograph, lost in thought. "Do you think anyone there would know how he died?"

"It was an awfully long time ago, Shingo."

"But maybe people still talk about it. Ghost stories are cool! Ask your friends; you never know."

"It's really not important enough to look into. I mean, it's not like hearing his story will bring him back from the dead." She snorted derisively, wondering how her brother had yet to clue in to the fact that she didn't have any friends here. Back home, she'd never stayed home all the time the way she did here. Did he seriously think she preferred hanging around the house with her kid brother while he went ghost-hunting?

"You're not at all curious?" Shingo stood abruptly. He now towered over his sister, who was still sprawled across the floor, causing her to lazily turn onto her back and stare up at him. "He was really young, Usa, too young to die."

"Maybe he was with the Yakuza or something. He has that sketchy look to him." ***-4**

"So you're admitting the ghost is real?" Shingo asked with a smirk.

Usagi gaped up at him, caught by surprise. "I didn't say that."

"But you're playing 'what if.'"

"Sue me now," she quipped.

"What if you're wrong?"

"About having a ghost in the house?"

"Well, I already know you're wrong about that." He stuck out his tongue and pulled down on his lower eyelid. "That means you're probably wrong about how he died, too. He could have been sick and had cancer or something, you know."

"Then he wouldn't still be haunting this place, would he? Ghosts are beings that haven't come to terms with their deaths. Prolonged sickness forces you to ponder 'what if.'"

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts."

"I don't, she responded shortly. "Doesn't mean I haven't heard the stories, though."

"There's only one way to find out."

"What's that, Conan?" ***-5**

"Ask him."

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

If he'd been alive, he would have had a colossal headache at the moment. That damn kid had been running around screaming his name, 'Mamoru,' for the past hour now. How the brat even managed to find it out, he didn't want to know. He couldn't escape to his bedroom like normal, either, since it had been taken over by the pampered princess. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered him, but now that she could see him, he didn't want to risk it. None of this had ever happened to him before. What made this family so different?

Hearing the kid call out his name yet again, he walked through the wall and headed outside to the nearby woods, lighting a cigarette along the way. If there was one thing that hadn't changed since he'd died, it was the small forest at the edge of his property. When he'd been alive, he'd often come out here with Kamen, his pet Akita, in order to escape his father's wrath. The quiet still continued to soothe him even in the afterlife. ***-5**

He sat aimlessly on an old, weathered rock by the stream in the heart of the woods, staring at the bubbling water as it rushed by. He was so lost in thought that he never heard the intruder in his midst until it was too late, jerking back to reality as he heard someone say, "I thought it was too late in the year to be seeing fireflies, but you never know. I never expected to find an actual person here, though."

Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he saw a blur of white and gold. He realized it was the pampered princess a moment later when she sat down atop a rock near his own, the moonlight revealing her face. "What are you doing out so late?" he asked, snuffing out the lit cigarette that had revealed his location.

"It's not that late; it's not even eight."

He glanced up into the sky and grunted. "Dark, though. Winter's coming."

"It's okay. I'm safe on my own property." She pulled her feet up onto her rock and cradled them with her arms, lowering her chin until it rested against her knees. "What about you? This is private property, you know."

Smiling wryly, he turned his head to observe her from the corner of his eye. Either she was playing another of her games or she didn't know it was him. He really didn't care one way or the other. All that mattered was that she was seeing him at all—and talking to him, no less. He hadn't had a civil conversation in years.

Ignoring his silence, she inquired, "Do you come here a lot?"

"Every now and again."

"Me, too." Sensing his surprised look, she added, "It's peaceful here. It's nice to have someplace to go when my pesky brother's trying his hardest to bust my eardrums, y'know?"

He almost cracked a smile. Almost. But only because they were out here for the same reason, which wasn't something he felt like sharing with her at the moment.

Instead, he made a noncommittal sound, somehow not wanting to burst her current illusion of him. He told himself it was because he didn't want this brief stint with humanity to end.

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked.

"A younger sister."

"Does she drive you crazy? Sometimes, Shingo drives me insane, especially since we moved here and he went off his rocker."

_Bust my eardrums, drive you crazy, off his rocker..._ Today's slang baffled him. Why put words that had nothing to do with one another together?

Realizing she was waiting for an answer, he cleared his throat. "Er, sometimes, I guess. I haven't seen her in a really long time, though, not since..." He was hit with a rush of nostalgia, and a crack appeared in the dam he'd so carefully built to hold his emotions.

"Not since...?"

He swallowed and closed his eyes. "Since she died."

"She died? How?"

"Childbirth," he whispered. "She never should have married that prick, but she didn't listen."

The blonde's mouth dropped into a soundless 'o' and she slid from her rock, moving to stand before him.

He glanced up, suddenly noting that her hair shone silver as it reflected the light of the moon rising above them.

Her eyes dark and indecipherable, she slowly bowed in greeting. "I'm Tsukino Usagi, by the way."

"I, uh—" He stared at her, frozen. If he told her his identity, she'd know who he really was, since her brother had been screaming his name all night. Suddenly, he didn't want her to know the truth. His brain wasn't working, though, and he couldn't think up a false name. "I'm, um..."

She seemed to stare through him, her eyes suddenly sparkling with moonlight, and stated, "You're Chiba Mamoru, aren't you?"

**«·´·.(·.¸(·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·).·´·»**

**Cultural Note #1:** The Shinto Religion is a type of animism, which means that they believe anything can have a soul or a spirit, even plants and animals. Therefore, Mt. Fuji has a mountain god at the top, the local river has a river god, and as my neighbor delights in telling me, there's even a spider god (shiver!). Basically, anything that can exist in nature comes from the spirit of an earlier entity. Shinto followers don't believe in the afterlife the same way Christians do. If you want to know more about the information, there's a lot out there on the net and in books. ^^

**Cultural Note #2:** A shinigami is a type of Japanese "death god" that exists mostly in modern-day pop culture. _ Full Moon wo Sagashite_, (My personal favorite! Tanemura Arina=LOVE in everything she creates!) _Bleach_, and _Death Note_ are three popular anime/manga series that utilize shinigami; many more exist, too. Usagi is referring mostly to manga and anime when talking about "the world of entertainment." Interestingly, it seems that shinigami have not been around since the time of Japanese mythology; they're a much more recent creation in the Japanese culture. How much more, I don't know, but that's interesting to me!

**Cultural Note #3:** By "on familiar terms," I mean that Shingo just says the name Mamoru and doesn't add on a suffix such as –san or use the person's last name. Merely saying Mamoru is a sign of familiarity in Japan, which is what Usagi's berating her brother about at the moment.

**Cultural Note #4:** The Yakuza is pretty much the Japanese mafia. They're scary, yo! And they don't hide, either, b/c it's not illegal for them to band together here. Be careful not to go into a Yakuza establishment (it'll be clearly marked), or else!

**Cultural Note #5:** Conan is a very famous detective from the Japanese anime/manga series _Meitantei Conan_, which you may know in English as _Detective Conan_ or _Case Closed_. The series recently celebrated its Tenth Anniversary by airing a drama special on TV starring teen heartthrob Oguri Shun (who is most well-known for his role as Hanazawa Rui in the Japanese version of the _Hana Yori Dango_drama), which went on to spawn a sequel drama. Japan loves Conan!

**Cultural Note #6:** An Akita is a Japanese breed of dog. Hachiko was a very famous dog that lived during the 1920s and 30s. Tales about this dog's loyalty are still told today and the Akita is said to be an incredibly loyal breed of dog. In the series _Nana_, one of the girls named Nana has the nickname "Hachi" because of this dog! (Hachi also means 'eight' in Japanese, so her nickname is a double-pun.) There is also a movie about this famous dog, and I don't know if it's a rumor or not, but there have been whispers that Hollywood is planning to release a story about Hachiko as well.

**Author's Note:** Nothing new other than what I previously stated at the beginning of the chapter. Again, I'm really sorry about the delay and hope to have more for you soon! This chapter has been written for, uh, a really long time. I have to write the next one, but I'm going to focus on it! I'm also going to put out some other stuff that's been sitting around, too, so there will be more to read soon. It doesn't mean that I'm focusing on these other pieces instead of BITB; they've already been written and BITB is what I'm going to be working on. It just might take a couple of weeks to post something new, so don't fear if you see new chapters for something else! :-)

Like it? Hate it? I'm the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!

**´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·»  
«·´¨*·.¸¸. *Baine*.¸¸.·*¨`·»  
«·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»**


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